One Year
by IrishAnnie71
Summary: AU. Multi Chapter Fic. Sequel to A Judge's Tale (posted here). A year in the life of the firm as they face personal and professional challenges. Harvey x OC. Most chapters are rated T with the odd M rated chapter here and there.
1. Chapter 1

Author Notes:-

AU. Multi Chapter Fic. Sequel to A Judge's Tale. You will need to read that one first. Harvey x OC

Summary:- With Celia back working in the firm she and everyone else face personal and professional challenges over the course of one year.

Disclaimer:- I wished I owned the character from Suits but I don't . They belong to Aaron Korsch and USA Network.

**Prologue**

**(Flash forward)**

"Moment of truth."

All the partners sat or stood around the conference room. The tension was palpable. Harvey glanced around the room. Donna gave him an encouraging smile. Samantha sat at the table with a face like thunder and Alex wouldn't look at him.

"As this is an open vote I encourage you to look at the evidence before you and vote to have Harvey Specter removed from his position as name partner and fired from the firm, "the man coned.

Harvey let out a deep breath as the partners said yes or no to his future with the firm.

"Looks like there is a tie which according to the bye laws reverts back to my vote... "

"This vote is against the bye laws, " a voice said.

All the partners turned to see Celia standing in the doorway. "You need a full partner representation for a vote to be valid. "

"Celia, my dear, I understand you are on leave at the moment. Your vote does not count. "

"Oh but it does Daniel," she said coming further into the room. " Check your bye laws more carefully. Section 17, sub section 5a. "

Daniel Hardman glanced at the woman to his right who flipped through the big missive that was the firm's bye laws. She nodded at him to affirm what Celia was saying was right.

"Ok Celia. What do you vote? Yes for Harvey to be removed or no?"

Everyone waited expectantly as she hesitated before glancing at Harvey. She cleared her throat. "I vote yes."

An audible gasp went around the room as Daniel looked taken aback at the development. He turned to Harvey who had no expression on his face. "It seems we have reached a decision Harvey. Effective immediately you are no longer name partner and your services are no longer required. "

Harvey stood and buttoned his jacket. "You haven't heard the end of this Daniel! " He pointed his finger at the other man as his jaw tensed. He looked around the room but no one would look at him. He brushed past Celia without looking at her and she followed him out of the room.

"Harvey!" Celia called after him as he headed towards his office. When he didn't answer she called him again.

Harvey stopped walking and turned around to face her. "How could you do that? After everything I have done for you! "

"I did it to protect the firm Harvey!" exclaimed Celia.

"Bullshit Celia. You did this to protect yourself! You betrayed me and you betrayed everyone else at this firm!"

" Harvey... " Celia started to say.

"Don't Harvey me. We're done! " Harvey shook his head and turned to walk back to his office.

She lifted her arm but let it drop at her side as she watched him walk away.

"How could you betray him like that?" A voice said behind her. She turned to see Donna standing behind her.

"I did what was good for the firm Donna," she replied walking towards the elevator.

"This wasn't for the good of the firm!" exclaimed Donna taking a step towards her.

"It was. Harvey is no longer effective in this position," Celia said pressing the button for the elevator.

"What did he promise you? Hardman? Your name on the wall? Because I promise you Celia. He will renege on that promise. "

Celia shifted on her foot. "He didn't promise me anything Donna. This was the right thing to do. It's nothing personal."

"A year ago you told me you wanted name partner. We stood in this very spot and I told you that Harvey and I would support you when the time comes. Is this how you repay both of us?"

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Celia stepped inside and turned to look at the COO. "Like I sad Donna. It's nothing personal. "

Donna watched as the door closed.

"Donna. I need you to call maintenance to have them change the signage. "

She turned to see Daniel Hardman standing behind her. "And then I want you to send termination letters to the partners and associates. Including yours. I'm replacing everyone with my own people."

Donna stared at him in disgust . "Go to hell Daniel. And this isn't over! "

He sighed as he watcher walk back to her office.

Harvey stared out the window in his office. He picked up his phone and sent a text.

_"Phase one of plan complete. Will update you when mission is message will self destruct in 10 seconds!"_

Down in the lobby Celia's phoned beeped as she reached the escalator. She read the message from Harvey and sent a text back

_"I hope for your sake that this works! "_

**One Year earlier**

August in New York was always humid. People seemed more in a hurry to get out of the stifling heat into air conditioned buildings in order to cool down. Fans and air conditioners were on constantly. Those who weren't working hung out in Central Park or the beaches setting up picnics and to watch the world go by. Families got out of the city to vacation homes.

Life in Specter Litt Wheeler Williams carried on as normal. Robert Zane retired one week ago moving to his vineyard in upstate New York. The name of the firm reverted to Specter Litt Wheeler Williams with Louis as Managing partner. Harvey Specter, the self confessed best closer in the city, picked up a file and walked to the office of their newest senior partner, Celia Laurence. He stood at the door of her office as she spoke on the phone while looking out the window. She sensed his presence and turned to see him leaning against the door.

"Ok that's great. I'll be in touch," she said hanging up the phone.

"What can I do for you today Harvey?" she smiled.

"I heard you got yourself two new clients today, " he replied stepping in the office..

"I did," she grinned. " and all before you've had your morning latte. "

"You're on a roll Cece. I have one for you. " He dropped the file on her desk. She picked it up and read it.

Her head shot up in surprise. "Are you kidding me? Boylston Technologies? They're not going to want to know me. They probably won't even let me inside the building! "

"They're looking for new representation," replied Harvey.

"Yeah but after I nearly cost them the business.."

"That was 10 years ago Celia. They won't remember that. Besides it's worth $10 million in billable to firm. You can't turn away business like that. "

The blonde woman sighed. "It will be a challenge."

"And when have you ever backed down from a challenge?" smirked Harvey.

She let out a small laugh. "Ok. I'll set up an appointment.."

"You have one for 2pm. So we better get going. "

"We?"

" I'm coming too, " he replied.

"Harvey I don't need you to hold my hand on this. I'm a big girl, " she grinned.

Harvey smiled. "It will be fun. C'mon We haven't worked together for a while. "

"We worked together not so long ago," she replied .

"That was me working to save your ass from going to prison!"

Celia glanced at him and smiled. "And a great job you did there! "

"Damn right it was!"

" Although I think Samantha still resents me being here, " she whispered in a conspiratorial fashion.

"She'll get over it," replied Harvey rolling his eyes.

"Ok. So let's get going then, " Celia said picking up her briefcase.

/\\\\\\\

_Flashback - 1 week earlier_

_"Ok everyone I have an announcement to make," Louis said as all the partners sat at the conference room table. Different conversations were going on around the table. Harvey and Alex were discussing the latest sports results. Donna and Katrina were making arrangements to have a spa day and Samantha was sitting texting on her phone. They all ignored Louis._

_"People. I have an important announcement before we move onto our weekly agenda, " Louis said again. He looked at Gretchen who nodded and took out a whistle. The shrill sound made everyone jump. _

_"Jesus are you trying to deafen us? " complained Samantha._

_"Before we go through our agenda I just wanted to introduce our newest addition to the firm. Our newest senior partner, " Louis said proudly._

_"I didn't know we were getting a new senior partner," Samantha replied. "Isn't something like this supposed to go through the HR committee?"_

_"It went through me and Louis Samantha," Harvey said knowing that she wasn't going to be happy with the news.._

_"Some of you know her already but without further ado let me introduce her, " Louis said loudly and on cue Celia came through the door. Donna and Alex clapped. Katrina smiled politely. Harvey looked over at Samantha who had a face like thunder. "You gotta be fucking kidding me," she said under her breath._

_"Celia is going to be our trial consultant and will also be overseeing the new judicial mentorship program. She has also agreed to take over as head of the associates. I'm not going to have to have the time once the baby comes along so I am delighted to have Celia on board, " Louis said._

_"And I am delighted to be here," Celia said looking around the table. "I'll be available if any of you need help on any case. "_

_Samantha cleared her throat. "With all due respect. How is it going to look to our clients when we announce that we have hired a disgraced former judge as a senior partner? "_

_"Samantha!" exclaimed Donna._

_Celia exhaled sharply. "I was exonerated Samantha. And from what I hear you got your name on the wall by default!"_

_"And the gloves are off," Alex muttered under his breah._

_"I would suggest that you two find a way to work in harmony together, " Harvey said looking at Samantha._

_"So you want us all to sit around the camp fire toasting marshmallows and singing kombaya?" asked Samantha sarcastically._

_"That's not a bad idea for the next firm retreat, " Louis said excitedly. _

_"Firm Retreat?" asked Alex._

_"Jessica used to have them on a regular basis, " Donna said. "She called it a team building exercise. "_

_"I remember we all went camping in the Catskills one time, " grinned Celia. "Harvey and Louis went kayaking and ended up tipping over the boat. That was so funny. "_

_"For you maybe. I ended up half carrying Louis back to the campsite, " grumbled Harvey. Celia giggled when she caught his eye. _

_"So who is up for a firm team building retreat? " Louis asked._

_When no one answered him Louis looked around the table. "Jeeze you are all so enthusiastic. Ok I have made an executive decision. "We're all going mudding!"_

_Harvey groaned while Alex rolled his eyes. _

_"You won't catch me going mudding!" exclaimed Samantha._

_"So does anyone have any other suggestions then? Donna why don't you do some research into this and come back to us at our next meeting, " Louis said looking over at the COO._

_"Ok will do that," replied Donna making a note of it._

/\\\\\

"Sit still, " whispered Harvey as they sat in the waiting room of Boylston Technologies. The office was situated on the 66th floor of a skyscraper in midtown Manhattan. It was completely surrounded by glass with views of the New York skyline.

"I can't," Celia whispered back. "I'm nervous!"

"If you show them that you are nervous then that's the game over, " Harvey said. "Go in there with confidence and remember - You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, an irrational fear of the unknown. But there's no such thing as the unknown..."

" I can't believe you are quoting Captain Kirk to me! " scoffed Celia with amusement.

"I can't believe you recognize the quote, " grinned Harvey.

"Oh please how many evenings did I have to endure episodes of Star Trek when we were together? " replied Celia rolling her eyes.

"Mr Franklyn will see you both now, "the receptionist said to both of them. "Last door on the right."

/\\\\\

"Harvey Specter!" Richard Franklyn, the CEO, greeted him as the two entered the room. "What can I do for you today? " He was in his early 50's with silver grey hair and a goatee to match. It was obvious that he kept himself in good shape from the way his lean body fit into his suit.

"It's not what he can do for you or what you can do for us. It's what I can do for you! " Celia interjected. Harvey sat down on a chair as she remained standing.

Franklyn furrowed his eyebrows as he looked between the two. "I'm sorry. Who are you?",

"Celia Laurence, Senior Partner at Specter Litt Wheeler Williams but as my name will soon be added to the letterhead you will be represented by one of the name partners of one of the most prestigious law firms in the city. "

"Celia Laurence? Weren't you responsible for us nearly going bankrupt a few years back?"

She glanced over at Harvey who kept his expression impassive but gave an imperceptible nod.

"I won't insult your intelligence and give you an excuse as to how that happened but I will say yes it did happen but that's in the past and from what I learned about your company then and what I know about your company now is that you are going places but you need that representation that will take you higher."

"And you are the person to do that?" Franklyn asked raising his eyebrows in amusement.

"Yes I am, " replied Celia. "Because I understand your company."

" With all due respect Ms Laurence as I understand it you haven't been a practicing attorney for a while now. You were a judge for several years before you stepped down."

"So I will be coming to you with fresh eyes and new ideas so don't let the fact that I haven't been in a corporate situation in a while put you off! "

Franklyn glanced at Harvey. "She's good."

Harvey nodded. "She is."

"Ms Laurence I need to run this by my board first."

"Richard. May I call you Richard? You can call me Celia. I know your board consists of you, Kenneth Cole, who doesn't have a vote in day to day matters of the company, and Andrea Dennis who is on personal leave at the moment for health issues. So it's your decision so let's cut the bullshit... "

"I'll be in touch Celia. Harvey, " Franklyn guided the two towards the door.

/\\\\\

"You were on fire back there!" exclaimed Harvey as they left the building and walked towards the black Lexus that was waiting for them

"I didn't close him. He made up every excuse not to sign me!" sighed Celia .

"He will," replied Harvey placing his hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him and smiled at him.

"Thanks Harvey but I doubt it! " she turned to open the car door.

"Hey, about what you said in there about name partner, " Harvey said getting in to the car beside her.

"Louis already agreed to it. He wants to wait for a little while before making another name change to the firm, " replied Celia.

"Hey, I think that would be great Cece!"

"So when the time comes I will have your support? " She asked.

"A lot can happen between now and then..."

"That's such a bullshit answer Harvey! "

"Ok Cece. When the time comes you have my support," he said with a smile. "Specter Litt Wheeler Williams Laurence has a good ring to it!"

"And Laurence," replied Celia. " "And" It adds to the prestige. Like Samuel L Jackson always gets an "and" in every movie he's in. "

"You're crazy," chuckled Harvey as Celia's cellphone beeped. She grabbed her briefcase and pulled out her cellphone. Harvey noticed that the movement had made her her skirt rise up to above her knees giving him the briefest glimpse of the top of her lace edge stockings in her toned legs.

"He said yes!" She exclaimed replying to the text.

"I told you he would," smiled Harvey regrettably turning his attention away from her legs to look at her. "What do you say we go out tonight and celebrate your big signing?"

"Oh can we do that another night? Franklyn wants to meet to discuss terms, " she replied.

"Sure. But don't be his beck and call girl ."

" I have no intentions on being his beck and call girl Harvey! I'll be the one laying down the rules, " she said with a smirk.

"That's my girl," grinned Harvey .

/\\\\\\\

"You know. Your name would look good up there."

Celia turned to see Donna standing behind her in the lobby of the 50th floor.

"I asked him," replied Celia. "Louis. "

"What did he say?"

"To wait a year. He doesn't want to change the name for a while. "

"Well when the time comes you have my support, " smiled Donna.

"Thanks Donna ." The elevator bell dinged and the door opened. Celia placed her hand on the button to keep the door open and turned around. "That just leaves Alex and Samantha. That's going to be hard!"

"Maybe, " replied Donna. "We need to have drinks soon. "

"We do," replied Celia. "You can tell me all about the handsome Thomas Kessler! "

"Oh there is lots to tell, " replied the red head with a wink and a smile.

"Really?" Celia asked. "I'm intrigued now. Tomorrow night? I've got a meeting with Richard Franklyn in 25 minutes. "

"That's a date! And don't let Mr Franklyn take advantage of you. I hear he has a reputation with the ladies."

"I have no intention of letting him hit on me Donna. Remember I am still a grieving widow!" Celia said with a wry grin as she stepped inside the elevator. All she saw was Donna's shocked expression when the elevator door closed.

"Are you going somewhere? " Donna turned to see Harvey standing behind her.

"I wish," replied Donna. "I still have a dozen contracts on my desk that need to be reviewed before I give them to Louis. It will be midnight at the latest before I leave here this evening .

"Not seeing Thomas tonight then?"

"He's out of town on business," replied Donna still not sure how Harvey was feeling about her seeing Thomas. He had said he was happy for her when she had told him when he got back from San Francisco but had said no more about it. "Hey did Cece say anything to you about name partner? "

"Yeah she said Louis wanted to wait a while before her name went up on the wall."

"I think she would be a great name partner but I have a feeling Samantha won't be too happy about it. There is no love lost between them, " replied Donna.

"I know," Harvey said. "Which is why we need to make it happen and have Samantha on board. "

"Hmm," replied Donna. "Well I need to get back to my contacts. Have a good night Harvey. "

Harvey nodded as he watched her walk back towards her office. Her high heels clicking lightly on the tiled floor.

/\\\\\

Celia entered the restaurant on Lexington Avenue. She was impressed by the choice that Franklyn had made for their meeting. It was a new upscale establishment that fused Brazillian and Italian food which had all the restaurant reviewers raving about it.

"Ms Laurence, " Franklyn stood up as the maitre'd brought her over to the table.

"Mr Franklyn. Nice place, " she replied as she removed her coat and sat glanced at the menu placed in front of her.

"Would you care for a drink? " a waiter asked.

"Water please," replied Celia.

He raised his eyebrows at the request. "Water?"

"Yes Mr Franklyn. This is a business meeting not a social event, " replied Celia. "I took the opportunity to draw up a terms of business contract. " She pulled a folder out of her briefcase and handed it to him.

"To the point. I like that," Franklyn said with a smirk.

"Let's get one thing clear. I am your company's lawyer. I am not at your beck and call. I won't be available after business hours which is why I am rescheduling this meeting for 9am tomorrow at your office. If you have any questions concerning the contract please feel free to ask them tomorrow. Have a good evening! " Celia smiled as she stood up from the table and took her coat from the chair. Franklyn stared in disbelief at her retreating back.

In a corner of the bar Harvey watched as she left the restaurant. He threw a $20 on the bar and left as well.

"Cece, " he called after her outside on the crowded street. Despite the humidity of the late evening people still bustled about at a brisk pace.

She turned in surprise at the sound of her name being called. "Harvey. What are you doing here? "

"Just having a drink before I went home. "

She looked at with amusement. "Really? Or was it that you wanted to see how I handled Franklyn? "

"From what I could see you handled him pretty well!"

"So you WERE spying on me?" She asked in mock horror.

"No! I just happened to be there!"

Celia glared at him for a moment. "I can fight my own battles Harvey!"

She turned to walk in the opposite direction but he grabbed her arm. "I know you can Cece but... "

"But what? You don't trust me? You think I could blow this... "

She saw a guilty look cross his face and let out a long deep breath. "You thought I would blow it. Wow! You bring me back to the firm and the minute I start to succeed you think you know better than me!"

"That's not true! "

Two womeshem to look at a map. They glanced over at the two people arguing and gave each other a grin. "Must be a lover's tiff," one whispered to the other.

"Yes it is Harvey. Maybe you won't admit it but it's true. Well let me tell you. You may have brought me back to the firm but I don't owe you anything! " Harvey and Celia were not aware of the the two people standing beside them.

Harvey stared at her incredulously. "You don't owe me anything? I gave you this job. I saved your ass from going to prison after your husband embezzled from his company and tried to implicate you! "

"And THAT right there. How dare you throw that back in my face! "

"I'm not throwing anything back in your face Cece. Look if you are pissed that I turned up tonight then I am sorry . You were right. I should have trusted you!"

Celia noticed the ladies standing beside them taking an interest in what was going on. One of them gave her a sympathetic smile. She pushed her lips together and sighed. "Yes you should have! How is it going to look to every client that I want to close if the name partner comes along to babysit me? "

Harvey sighed. "I get it. I won't do it again! "

"Good! " She glanced over at the the two women. "He's afraid that I might overtake him as the "best closer in the city"! "

Harvey looked at them. One of the ladies gave him a disapproving look and tutted. "I am not! ...I'm not Celia. But that will never happen! "

"Won't it? " she smirked at him. Smiling at the two ladies she turned on her heel and walked off down the street.

Harvey watched her and then broke into a little jog to catch up with her. "So you want to go for a drink? My way of making it up to you! "

Celia stopped and turned to look at him. "Maybe another time. I need to have my A game for this meeting tomorrow. "

"One drink Cece!"

"And one drink will turn to several drinks and the next thing you know we're... making out on your couch! " she replied.

"That won't happen," Harvey said with a smile. He stepped forward and stroked her cheek lightly. "Unless you want it to happen."

She stepped back and hit his arm lightly. "Harvey!"

"What?" Harvey asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I'm not your consolation prize Harvey," she replied raising her hand to hail a cab. Two drove past without stopping.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You know what I mean! " she exclaimed turning back to look at him.

"If you're talking about Donna. She's with Thomas now... " Harvey started to say before Celia interrupted him

"Yeah she's with Thomas. And anytime either of you have a relationship with someone else the other does their best to fuck it up! "

"That's not true Celia! " replied Harvey knowing she was right.

"Really? Who was the one who kissed you when you were in a relationship with Paula?

He shifted on to one foot and looked down to the ground.

"You can't even be honest with yourself Harvey! And what is it are you looking for with us? Sex, a relationship? "

"I was hoping for the former," smirked Harvey.

She stared at him for a few moments without saying anything. She shook her head and then she saw a cab with the lights on. "Taxi!"

"Wait! Aren't we even going to talk about this? "Harvey asked as the cab pulled over.

She opened the door without saying anything but then turned to look at him. "Nothing to talk about Harvey. See you tomorrow. "

Harvey watched as she gave the driver her address as she got into the car and it drove off.

To be continued


	2. Girls Night Out

"Louis! I have the perfect place for the firm retreat!" Donna said as she sashayed into the Managing Partner's office the following morning.

Louis looked up from a file he was reading. "Where?"

" Robert's vineyard in upstate New York, " she replied handing him a file.

"The vineyard?" He queried .

"Yes. I spoke to Robert and he is happy to let us use it. He said he can bring someone in to teach us winemaking plus there are other activities in the area. Like mudding! "

"Mudding? That sounds perfect Donna. Winemaking, mudding and drinking! " Louis grinned. "How soon can you set it up? I need to be around for Sheila though."

"I can clear the calendars for about 6 weeks time? Harvey has the Dopler case which is due in court in 3 weeks unless there is a settlement in the meantime and Samantha has the Sharp v Bennington case which she is hoping to have finished up by then. Mike and Rachel might be able to come too! "

"Put it in the calendar. We can announce it at the next partner meeting, " replied Louis.

"Will do." Donna moved towards the door of the office.

"Good work Donna," he said as she got to the door.

She stopped and turned to look at him. "Thanks Louis. "

"Hey how are things with you and Thomas?" he asked.

"Things are good thanks, " the red head said with a smile.

" How did Harvey take it when you told him?"

"Oh you know Harvey. He's happy for me, " she sighed.

"Well I'm happy for you too! " Louis looked at his watch. "I have to go see Esther. "

"Esther? I haven't seen her in ages. How is e? "

"She's great. She has a new man in her life, the company is doing well... "

"That's terrific Louis. Tell her I was asking for her," smiled Donna.

"I will!"

/\\\\\\\

Celia sat in front of Richard Franklyn, CEO of Boylston Technologies, as he read over the contract. His head bobbed up and down as he picked up a pen. Clicking it twice he looked like he was considering something. He placed the pen back on the desk and leaned back in his chair and regarded the woman sitting in front of him.

"Looks like everything is covered in the contract. Very thorough, " he eventually said.

"You need a lawyer you can trust too make the right calls, " replied Celia giving him a small smile.

"Just one thing though ."

"What's that? "

"I need some to know that it is you and only you that will be working for me. No passing things off to your associates... "

"That won't be a problem, " smiled Celia. She had the beginnings of a headache since she woke up that morning. She thought going for a run before work would shake it off but it didn't. She figured the humid weather was the cause.

"And I don't want Harvey representing me. Just you!"

"You have my word Richard. It'll be just me, " she replied.

He picked the pen up again. "Good." He signed his name and passed the folder over to her. "This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship."

Celia smiled as she signed her name. "It does. And I would like to see the manufacturing and distribution division. I want to get a real sense of the day to day functions of the company."

"The manufacturing and distribution division is in Rochester but we can organize the grand tour. I'll set it up with the manager down there," smiled Richard .

"Thanks Richard," Celia said standing up. As she did her vision blurred and she swayed on her feet. A feeling of nausea overwhelmed her. "Oh ."

Richard stood up and moved to her side. "Are you ok?" He poured her a glass of water.

"I must have stood up to quickly!" She cleared her throat and took a sip of water.

"I can have my driver drive you home, " he said giving her a look of concern.

"I'm fine Richard. Honestly. I'll take a look at the paperwork for the First Step acquisition and get back to you later," she replied feeling a little embarrassed. She smiled at him as she took another sip of water. The nauseous feeling had lessened and she slowly got to her feet again.

"I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it," he replied walking her to the office door.

/\\\\\\\

"So we started the baby registry a couple of weeks ago and Sheila has picked out the colours for the nursery. It's all go now!" Louis said to his sister excitedly . They were seated in a booth of a small steakhouse a few blocks from the firm.

"And have you decided about the religion yet? You know mom and dad..." Esther started to say only to be the silenced by the look Louis gave her.

"We 're still in discussion about that," replied Louis. "So tell me about the architect. "

"He's amazing. So thoughtful and sensitive. I'd sworn off all men after the divorce but I'm really happy!" she smiled as she picked up a fork full of salad.

"Hey, that's amazing. I'm really happy for you," Louis said reaching out to take her other hand.

"If only I could feel this happy about the business, " sighed Esther.

"Why what's wrong? Someone suing you for nuts in your muffins again?"

She smiled at her brother. "No Louis! Not this time! Steve, my manufacturing manager and Janine, his assistant, have not been getting along. They've had some sort of misunderstanding that they won't tell me about. Now Janine is refusing to work with Steve which of course is not feasible. I don't want to fire either of them because they've been with me since the beginning. "

"Sounds messy. But you need to get them to iron their differences out before it gets worse," Louis advised. "You know when Harvey and I were at each other's throats over something or other Jessica used to make us work together.. "

"Harvey," scoffed Esther remembering what had happened between them a couple of years ago. "Is he still an asshole?"

"Not so much now," replied Louis. "But Jessica used to threaten to bring in a mediator. Maybe that's what you need. "

"A mediator? I'd rather keep this private, within the company, " Esther said.

"It would be totally private and confidential. And I know just the right person," grinned Louis.

/\\\\\

Celia sat on the small couch beside the window in her office. She rested her head against a cushion with her eyes closed. Her head still throbbed but it had now reduced to a dull ache behind her eyes.

"Hey," Harvey said coming into her office. "Not even a month back in the firm and you are already sleeping in the office?"

"I'm meditating, " she murmured as she slowly opened her eyes to look at him.

"Call it what you want Cece, " he smirked as she got to her feet. "You look a little peaky. Are you feeling ok? "

"Let me guess. Franklyn call you to tell you that I almost fainted in his office today?" She pulled a law book from the bookcase.

"Wait a minute? You did what?" Harvey said walking over to the bookcase. "Maybe you need to see a doctor Cece!"

She turned to meet his concerned eyes. "I'm fine Harvey . It's probably just a virus. It will pass!"

"We can't have our newest Senior Partner ill you know... "

"Harvey! I'm fine," Celia said raising her arm and dropping it in exasperation.

"Ok! I really just came in to apologise for last night. I should have just trusted you from the start," Harvey said as he leaned against the edge of her desk. "And I don't know think of you as a consolation prize. "

She let out a deep breath. "Consolation prize. Runner up. It's all the same."

"That's not fair Cece!"

"I don't want to argue about this Harvey! I just don't..."

"Don't what? Come on Cece. Talk to me! "

She turned to look at him. "I don't want you to think that because you brought me back to the firm that I owe you...in that way! "

"I don't think that Cece. How could you think that? " Harvey had a look of amusement on his face.

"I..." Celia shook her head as bshe walked over to the window and leaned against the window sill.

"Cece..." He started to say

"Harvey. I 'd rather have you in my life than not have you in it. But as a friend. "

Harvey nodded slowly. "I understand."

A tap on the door interrupted them. They both turned to see Louis standing outside with Esther. Harvey rolled his eyes but he strode over to the door and opened it.

"Strategy meeting," he said to Louis and smiled at Esther but she refused to look at him. "Nice to see you Esther.

"Harvey," she acknowledged as she folded her arms.

The three stood in an awkward silence for a moment before Harvey cleared his throat as he left the room. "I have a deposition to prepare for."

Celia noticed the tension between the three and made a mental note to ask Donna about it.

"Cece, this is my sister Esther. Esther this is Celia," Louis said by way of introduction .

"Ohh it's so lovely to meet you! I've heard so much about you! " Celia said as they both shook hands.

"Lovely to meet you too," replied Esther with a smile. " Louis said you would be the answer to my problem."

"Oh?" Celia asked as she moved around to her desk.

"Workplace mediation," explained Louis. "For two of her employees. "

"I specialized in family mediation when I was working in San Francisco a few years back," replied Celia indicating Esther to sit down .

"Well I need someone who is the best and if you're not the person for it I will find someone else..." Esther to say with a note of annoyance in her voice before being interrupted by Louis.

"But Cece is the best! "

"Esther, I need to know that your two employees are willing to go through this process as it's a lot of work and it's not just a quick fix band aid thing. There will be many sessions which can bring up many unpleasant issues for your employees. They will have to agree to it first." Celia reached into a file and pulled out document. "It's expensive too.

"I can afford it. I just want a happy and productive workplace environment, " replied Esther reading the document Celia gave to her.

"You should take them mudding!" Louis chimed in before being silenced by the look he received from the two women. "I'll leave you both to it."

" Mudding, " scoffed Esther as he left the room. She glanced up at Celia and they laughed.

/\\\\\

"So are you ready to come drinking tonight?" Donna said excitedly as she stepped into Celia's office later that day. She hadn't noticed Esther sitting in the couch filling out a questionnaire in relation to the mediation. "Donna! "

"Esther! It's so lovely to see you again," smiled the redhead as the two gave each other air kisses.

"And you!" replied Esther. "What's this about going drinking?"

"I was looking for Cece. I thought she was here," replied Donna. "You should come too! We never did get to go out that time."

"She went to the library. She mentioned something about BAP. Have no idea what that means, " Esther said. "You're right. We never did. I would love to I could do with a night out! "

"Business Acquisition Process. I've no idea what it is either," Donna said in a conspiratorial whisper. "We were going to head to NoMad on 28th Street. They make the best cocktails!"

"Did someone mention cocktails?" Celia asked as she came back into the room with a large book in her hand.

"Esther is coming out with us tonight, " Donna said excitedly.

"That 's great!" replied Celia.

"Girl's night out! I'm gonna ask Samantha and Katrina. I know Gretchen isn't free. She has a date with Alex's dad. This is going to be so much fun! " exclaimed Donna as she left the office. "Meet you both at the elevators at 8."

/\\\\\\\I

Harvey walked through the lobby later that evening but stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Donna, Celia and Esther chatting and laughing by the elevators.

"You look like you have seen a ghost," Louis said coming up beside him.

"Look's like a girl's night out, " replied Harvey indicating the three.

"Wouldn't want to be a man on the wrong side of any of them," chuckled Louis.

"Too right! " asked Harvey.

Louis gasped as he widened his eyes."Oh my God. "

Harvey glanced at Louis. "What?"

"Don't you know when women get together they talk about sex and the men they've been with? "

Harvey narrowed his eyes and swallowed. "No they don't!"

"Yeah they do! They talk about orgasms and whether or not the guy could get it up, girth... ""

"Girth?" Harvey looked at Louis like he was mad.

"Yeah," grinned the other man. "Hey didn't you sleep with the three of them? Boy would I like to be a fly on the wall when that topic comes up! " He laughed to himself as he walked off back to his office leaving a dumbfounded Harvey by himself.

"What's up with you?" Alex appeared beside him.

"Fancy a poker game tonight?" Harvey asked.

"Are you looking to lose your money?" Alex said with a grin.

"If anything it will be you losing your money to me!" scoffed Harvey.

/\\\\\

The NoMad bar on 28th street was one of those classic New York bars. Classy and elegant. Dark panelled wood with soft low lighting made it perfect. Downstairs there was a mixture of couches and booths for people to mingle. Upstairs held the restaurant which according to the restaurant critics the food was like art on a plate. Whether it was a business meeting, first date or a girl's night It was the sort of place that hopped with people every night of the week. This night was no exception. Donna, Celia, Esther and Samantha entered the bar and was greeted by the hostess who showed them to the alcove by the front window which Donna had booked. A lone guitarist sang on the other side of the room.

"I've never been here before," Samantha said as she grabbed the cocktail menu from the table. "It's a pity Katrina couldn't make it."

"Me neither," replied Celia leaning in to get a look at the menu. "Ohh I think I will have a Manhattan."

" I've got two kids, " Esther said. "Girl's nights out are few and far between. "

"Rachel and I used to come here a lot . The cocktails are to die for. I'd recommend the NoMad Special. It will blow the head off you! " exclaimed Donna.

"I could do with a few of them," sighed Samantha. "After the week I have had!"

"Ok rules of the evening. No talking about work," Donna said wagging her finger at Samantha.

"Or men," interrupted Esther.

"Which leaves what to talk about exactly? "asked Celia.

"Ladies. We're professional woman at the top of our game. Men don't define us. " Samantha rolled her eyes as she spotted the waitress coming over to the table. "Now are we ready to order?"

/\\\\\

"These are pretty good!" Celia said taking a sip of her Manhattan. "Makes me want to put on my dancing shoes! "

"Are widows allowed to go dancing so soon after their husband's death?" Samantha asked.

Celia glared at her. "You see that's the problem! What's the proper etiquette? How long do I have to wait to start dating again? "

"I don't think there is any designated waiting period Celia. I knew someone who started dating a week after their husband died. Granted he was 87 and she was 25 and only after his money, " Esther said as Samantha giggled.

"And I knew someone who never dated at all," replied Donna drinking her Cosmopolitan. "But everyone is different Cece. You and Phillip were estranged anyway when he died. I'm sure no one will look down on you when you start dating again!"

"I really don't think I have the energy for the whole dating thing, " sighed Celia.

"Maybe you just need to get laid, " Samantha said with a wink.

Celia looked around. She noticed a man standing at the bar looking over in their direction. He looked to be in his 30 's with dark hair and a light stubble on his face. She took in the black shirt which showed off a muscular toned body. When they made eye contact he raised his glass. She acknowledged his gesture with a smile."Maybe!"

/\\\\\

As the night wore on the bar filled up even more and the guitarist had people up and dancing.

"Thomas is great , "Donna said. She was on her third Cosmo. "He's just so uncomplicated you know. Knows what he wants and goes for it."

"Adam is like that as well, "replied Esther. "And he's good with the kids."

"Adam the architect," smiled Donna.

"Oh my god. The bathrooms were just so busy. You need to plan well in advance to get there! " exclaimed Celia as she returned to the table. "Where's Samantha?"

"At the bar. Our waitress seems to have disappeared, " Donna pointed over at Samantha who was being jostled as she stood at the bar which was three deep with people. She was waving her arms to get the barman's attention.

"I'll help her, " Celia said as she weaved her way through the crowd to reach the other woman. When she got the to the bar someone stepped back onto her foot and bumped into her. It was the guy who was staring at her earlier.

"Sorry, " he said.

"That's ok. It's not as if I need my foot or anything, " replied Celia noticing how blue his eyes and how tall he was.

"I'm good at foot massages. If you ever need one. God that was an awful line! I 'm Joe," he said. "Normally I'm a lot better at conversing than this! "

"Could've fooled me!" she grinned. "I'm Celia. "

"Pleasure to meet you Celia, " he replied.

Samantha finally got the attention of the barman and shouted her order at him. She watched as he mixed the drinks with expertise. He got a round of applause from the customers when he slid one of the drinks down the counter which stopped right in front of her. She even had to admit that she was impressed. Picking up two of the glasses she looked back and saw Celia chatting and laughing with the guy.

"Are you here to help or do you want me to leave you alone? " Samantha asked Celia as she passed the two.

Celia grinned and turned to look at Joe. "I really need to get back to my friends!"

"Ok. Hope to see you around then," he replied as she looked over her shoulder at him as she went back to the others .

"Ohh Celia! He's hot," teased Donna when she got back to the table. "You didn't have to leave him there. Look at him. He's all by himself now. "

"Poor thing, " Esther said. "Go back over to him!"

Celia glanced over at Joe. "I'm out with you guys! "

"A woman who doesn't abandon her friends for a guy. How very noble of you, " Samantha said as she picked up her glass.

Donna felt her cellphone vibrate in her bag which was placed at her feet. She reached down and pulled it out. She smiled when she read the text. "Thomas is back in town. He's coming to pick me up in a few minutes. Looks like I will be abandoning you all for a guy! "

"Donna. I'm shocked!" exclaimed Celia with mock horror.

"Oh did I tell you that Robert has agreed to let us use the vineyard for the firm retreat," Donna said.

"I spoke to him today and he told me, " revealed Samantha. "That will be fun!"

"Firm Retreat? " asked Esther with curiosity.

"Yeah your brother wants us all to bond while winemaking, " replied Donna. "Although he would prefer if he went mudding!'

"Ugh. Mudding," Esther wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"It's not so bad you know. I've gone with him a few times," Donna said with a wink.

"Really?" Celia and Samantha asked together.

"It's relaxing! Although I think Harvey might implode one of these days if Louis keeps asking him! "

"Harvey's idea of relaxation vastly differs from Louis', " laughed Celia.

"He's challenged me to get in the boxing ring with him, " grinned Samantha. "But I would be afraid of hurting him! "

"He's such an asshole," Esther said . She and Donna exchanged glances as Donna gave her an apologetic smile. Donna excused herself as she went to the bathroom.

"Speaking of which. What the hell was with that weird tension in my office this afternoon? You could cut the air with a knife!" Celia said as she remembered the incident earlier.

" You didn't sleep with him did you? " laughed Samantha but stopped when she saw the embarrassed look on the other woman's face. "Om my god you did!"

" Did you? " asked Celia in surprise.

"It was once! " admitted Esther. "After my divorce. Not my finest hour! "

"Does Louis know? " Samantha asked.

"Oh yeah," replied Esther letting out a deep breath. "Apparently they got into a huge fight and Harvey threw Louis against a glass table.

"Wow," Samantha said with raised eyebrows. "Harvey is very charming I must admit. Once you get over all that arrogance and self absorption. I can see how easy it would be to fall into bed with him though. Don't you agree Celia? "

Celia reached for her glass. "Don't look at me! I was in a relationship with him."

"Really?" Esther asked putting her glass down.

"It was a long time ago. Before I moved to San Francisco. "

"So that's why you came back to work at the firm. To rekindle... "

"No Samantha. That's not why! " responded Celia.

"What are we talking about?" Donna asked as she rejoined the group.

" Donna. Did you know that these two here both slept with Harvey, " Samantha asked with a mischievous grin.

The red head stared at Samantha for a moment. "That's their business Samantha."

"Have you? " she asked.

"Have I what?"

"Did you ever sleep with Harvey? You are both very close and have some sort of connection."

Celia glanced over at Donna who was looking uncomfortable at the line of questioning.

"I don't get involved with men I work with Samantha," replied the red head as she searched in her bag for her cellphone.

"You didn't always work with him though," pressed Samantha.

"I've always worked with Harvey. What are you anyway? Some kind of lawyer? " Donna glanced over at Celia who smiled at her.

"I thought this was supposed to be a man free discussionless evening," Celia said trying to change the subject.

"Speaking of men. Here's mine now, " smiled Donna as she spotted Thomas coming into the bar. He looked around and as her as she waved him over.

"Hey, " he sad greeting her with a light kiss on the lips.

'Hi yourself, " she smiled introducing him to the other three.

" Do you want to go? Or stay, " Thomas said to Donna.

"How about one more drink and then we go?" she smiled.

"Same again?" he asked indicating the glasses on the table.

"No thank you." I'm fine! " "I'm good thank you." Celia, Samantha and Esther all spoke together. Thomas smiled and nodded and made his way over to the bar.

"Oh my god Donna. He's so hot!" exclaimed Samantha. "Does he have any single friends?"

Donna laughed as the waitress came over with a tray of drinks that she placed on the table.

"I'm sorry there must be a mistake. We didn't order these,' Celia said to her.

"Compliments of the gentleman at the bar," replied the waitress pointing to the guy Joe that Celia had been talking to earlier. He raised his glass as they looked over at him.

"Ooh Celia, " teased Esther as she picked up her glass and walked over to Joe.

"You know. You really didn't have to!" Celia said to him.

"I did. Considering I damaged your foot and gave you a cheesy chat up line I figured I owed you one, " grinned Joe.

"Is that another one of your cheesy lines?"

"Is it working?" Joe asked.

"Maybe," Celia said with a coy smile.

"So have you a number so I can call you? Maybe we can have dinner, go for a drink, theater..."

"Oh my god you are so smooth, " laughed Celia. She took her business card from her bag and handed it to him.

"Cheesy and smooth. That's me! " Joe looked at the card she gave him. "You're a lawyer. "

"Uhuh," she nodded as she leaned into him. "We're not all bad you know!"

"I bet," he said with a wink. He felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket. "If you'll excuse me I need to take this. "

Celia nodded as she watched him go outside to take the call. She went back over to the table where Thomas had rejoined the group.

"Soo tell all," quizzed Esther. "Are you back in the saddle?"

"There' s nothing to tell. I gave him my number but he's not going to call, " replied Celia sitting back down.

"He's definitely going to call," smiled Donna. "There was some actual sparks flying between you both. "

People mingled outside the bar as Joe took his call. It was still very humid although rain was forecast in the next couple of days.

"I'm going to have to call you back," he said over the phone and then hung up.

He put the phone back in his pocket and then saw Celia leaving the bar with two of the women she had been with. He watched as she said goodnight to them. He walked over to her as she waited for a taxi on the sidewalk.

"Can I give you a ride home?" He asked.

" Um. It's fine. I have a taxi coming for me, " she replied as she waved to Donna and Thomas who had decided to walk.

"Don't say I didn't offer!" He grinned.

Celia glanced down at the ground and then back at him as her taxi pulled up. "Call me!"

"I will, " replied Joe as he opened the car door for her. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"Ohh I hope I'm not going to regret this," Celia said with a sigh as she got into the backseat. "Talk soon. "

Joe smiled as he shut the car door. He pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed redial as the taxi sped off. "Contact made. It's going to take a while but I'll get it done. "

"I don't care how long it takes as long as you get the job done, " the voice said over the phone.

"It'll get done. Don't worry about that. "

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh man I'm never drinking again," Samantha groaned as she entered the conference room for the weekly partner meeting. She glanced over at Celia who was seated on the window sill. "You look bright as a button."

"You did see the hot guy she picked up and took home," grinned Donna blowing on her fingertips .

Katrina looked up from her laptop. "Hot guy? Sounds like I missed a good night out!"

"I didn't take him home!" exclaimed Celia.

"You were getting rather cosy with him," winked Samantha just as Harvey walked into the room.

"So did you ladies have a good night out?" he asked pulling out a chair.

"Great night Harvey. Celia picked up a rather hot younger man," replied Samantha.

"I did not! I didn't take him home," Celia said indignantly. She ignored the look Harvey gave her.

"You should have," teased Donna.

Celia pushed her lips together into a smile. "You're right. I should have. Lucky I got his number though." She glanced over at Harvey who was looking through a file in front of him. She got down from the window sill and sat in the chair opposite him.

"Ok people. Let's get down to business. I want to hear about 3 of your clients. Katrina will you take minutes. Where is Alex?" Louis said striding into the room followed by Gretchen.

"Alex is on his way. He's probably smarting that I beat him at poker last night, " Harvey said with a smirk.

"You and Alex playing poker is always a dangerous situation," smiled Celia.

"Sure is, " he replied with a chuckle.

"Donna has news of our Firm Retreat," Louis said.

" I sure do, " replied the red head. "In 6 weeks time we're going to Robert's vineyard up by the Finger Lakes."

An ooh went around the table as she continued. "Two days learning how to make wine, we learn all the ins and outs, we even get to make our own blend."

"And we are also going mudding! " Louis piped up to a load of groans.

"Sorry I'm late," Alex said as he walked into the room.

"No we're not but there are other activities like horse riding, drumming, sailing on the lakes." replied Donna as she handed out a brochure to everyone. "I'm working out a schedule for the two days. "

"Sounds like fun," Katrina said looking through the brochure.

Harvey rolled his eyes. "I have a question. Do I have to go? "

"Yes Harvey. You have to go, " replied Donna giving him a stern look to the amusement of the other partners.

"It 's so lame," he complained.

Samantha leaned forward in her chair. "We all have to Harvey so quit acting like a little boy and put your toys back in the pram! "

Everyone sniggered as Harvey glared at her but said nothing.

"Now that that's out of the way let's get down to business. Alex, an update on your cases please," Louis said wanting to get through the meeting as quickly as possible so that he could leave early to go mudding.

"Harlow Vs Stanton is almost settled. We're just waiting for old man Harlow to get this head out of his ass to accept the settlement, Cline Corporation are suing their former CEO for infringing on his contract, Harkin Software are merging with Delgado Systems."

" Good, moving on. Celia. Congratulations on signing Boylston Technologies. I imagine that was a difficult coup. "

She smiled. "Yes it was but worth it. We're closing a deal to buy First Steps Inc out. It should be finalized by the end of the week. Oh I just also wanted to let you know that I am re-assigning the associates. Since Brian Altman left there was a gap... "

Katrina lifted her head when she heard Brian's name mentioned. She and Louis made eye contact and he gave her a sympathetic smile. She tuned out of the meeting as she recalled the day he left.

"Katrina. "

She jumped when she heard her name being called bringing her out of her reverie. "What?"

"Your turn," replied Louis.

"Oh," she said as she put her hands on the files that were placed in front of her. "Redstone Fashions will be previewing their new line next week. But there is a problem with one of their flagship designs and no design no preview. Their competitor has filed an injunction. Due to go to court in the morning. "

"You'll be up before Judge Gaven," Celia said to her. "She's fairly reasonable. She'll overturn that injunction."

Katrina nodded and smiled at her. "Can we meet later? I want to have a strategy worked out in case it goes to trial. "

"Sure," smiled Celia. "I 'm free after lunch ."

"Moving on. Samantha. What have you got going on?" Louis asked.

"I'm about to sign the big cahuna of the tech world. Teslington Corporation. I'm on the one yard line."

Celia looked over at Samantha in surprise. "You can't sign Teslington!"

"Here we go again, " muttered Alex.

Samantha smiled at Celia. "I can sign whoever the hell I want. "

"I signed Boylston Technologies yesterday. Teslington is their biggest competitor. There's a conflict. Not to mention I gave my word to Richard Franklyn that the firm wouldn't take on their competitors as clients ," replied Celia.

"Their remit has changed Celia. They are no longer in direct competition," smirked Samantha.

"Samantha is right in this situation," replied Louis. "It would only be a conflict if there was an overlap in products."

"Teslington started a lawsuit with Boylston several years ago. I worked on the case," replied Celia.

"Oh was that the case that you messed up on?" Samantha said glaring at her.

"Samantha!" Louis said in a warning tone.

Celia flushed but didn't answer as she flipped open the file in front of her. She glanced sideways at Harvey who was sitting stone faced with his arms folded.

"Harvey, what say you?" Louis asked.

He picked up a folder in front of him. "Dopler are in discussions for a settlement. Hanrahan Insurance are merging with Hopkinton Insurance. Paperwork will be finalized in a couple of days. There are other confidential cases on the roster. "

"Ok. I have a potential client. Abigail Walston. Her father was the founder of Gailann LLC. She inherited the company and is looking around for representation. I might inform you that her business is worth $15 million in billables. Harvey, best closer in the city. I'm giving this to you," Louis said sliding the folder down to Harvey .

"You want me to close her? I'll close the shit out of her," he smirked.

\\\\\/

"Celia, there is a Joesph Hawkins waiting for you," the receptionist said as she headed back to her office after the meeting.

"Thanks," she smiled wondering who Joseph Hawkins was.

She stopped in surprise when she saw Joe from the other night waiting for her outside her office door. He gave her a smile when she came to a standstill in front of him.

"Joe," she said as they both entered her office. "This is a surprise! "

"I thought about calling you but then I figured it would be so cliche if I waited to call you and you were waiting for me to call so I figured I may as well bite the bullet and come all the way down to Midtown to ask you to lunch," grinned Joe. Her eyes took in the well cut suit he was wearing.

"You don't waste time do you?" She said leaning against her desk.

"No point," he smiled. He moved over closer to her.

She exhaled slowly before moving further away from him. "Joe. I don't think this is a good idea."

"It's lunch," he said . "Middle of the day meal. Nothing else."

She looked out at the window of the view of the Manhattan skyline before turning back to face him. "My husband died...not so long ago."

" Oh, I'm sorry. If it's too soon I can wait to take to you lunch...even if takes 5 years, " he grinned.

She smiled at him for a moment. "You know what? Screw etiquette. Let's have lunch!"

"Are you free now?"

She looked at her watch. "I have a meeting after lunch so now is a good a time as any!"

"Let's go then," he said guiding her out the door . "Nice office by the way!"

Donna saw the two walking to the elevators. Her mouth formed an O when she realized who was with Celia and then grinning to herself she followed them to the elevators.

"Celia, if you a minute I'd like to over the associate assessments," she said when she reached them.

Celia turned around in surprise when she heard the red head's voice. She scratched her head in confusion as the associate assessments weren't due for another month. "Assessments?

"Yes the assessments. Perhaps we could meet later?" Donna turned her attention to Joe. "I'm sorry. Cece is so rude. I'm Donna."

"I remember you from last night," replied Joe as they shook hands.

"Um..we're just going to lunch," Celia said feeling the need to explain where they were going.

Donna raised her eyebrows. "Lunch. That's lovely. So the assessments? Do you want to meet in half an hour, an hour maybe? Or a little later? "

Celia flushed as she decided to kill Donna the next time she saw her. "I have a meeting with Katrina at 2. And then a deposition at 2.30 so after that maybe? "

"I have an idea. Why don't you text me when you finished and we can discuss the assessments in fine detail. We can _really_ get down to the nitty gritty! "

She was really going to kill her Celia decided. "Sure. I'll text you," she said with a wink .

"Good!" replied Donna. "I really need to get back to signing...stuff for Louis. Nice to see you again Joe!" She turned on her high heels and walked towards her office with a mischievous grin on her face.

Celia glanced at Joe who was looking amused at the whole exchange. "That was Donna."

The elevator pinged and they both stepped in.

/\\\

"So Abigail. Louis tells me you are looking for representation," Harvey said as the impeccably dressed young woman sat on the leather chair in front of him.

"Yes I am Harvey. My father left Gailann to me and I want to turn the company into a viable thriving business. Unfortunately my father was not much of a businessman, " replied the dark haired woman.

"We will reverse the company's fortunes," he smiled.

"Good. I've heard that you are the best in the city. That's what I need. I need the best," replied Abigail.

"You've come to the right place! Why don't you read me in what your vision for the company is," Harvey said picking up his pen.

"I have my eye on another company that I want to buy. It fits in perfectly with Gailann."

Harvey nodded. "Usually I advise on holding off on expanding especially when your company is in such a vulnerable position."

"I understand that Harvey but I will be using my own funds for the purchase. When Gailann is back on it's feet I will incorporate the two companies, " replied Abigail.

"Sounds like you have all this figured out, "Harvey said leaning back in his chair.

"I'm better at business than my father." Abigail reached into her briefcase and pulled out a file. "This is the company I want to buy. "

Harvey opened the file and looked up in surprise after he read it. "First Steps Inc?"

"Yes. I've done all the research... "

"Before you say anything more Abigail I am obligated to inform you that one of our clients is in the process of purchasing First Steps. "

"Is that going to be a problem? " asked Abigail.

"It could be. There's a conflict and it would also be seen as operating in bad faith if we swoop in and undercut them," replied Harvey.

Abigail sighed and picked up her briefcase as she stood up. "Do I have to find another law firm then? "

Harvey pushed his lips together as he stood up. "Leave it with me Abigail. I'll look into it. "

"Good," replied Abigail as they both walked towards the door. He looked down the hallway and saw Donna chatting to Gretchen. _They look like they are having a good chat he thought._

Gretchen laughed at Donna and then noticed Harvey and Abigail walking towards the elevator and giving the red head a nudge she looked up to see the two.

"Donna," called Harvey.

"Excuse me, Gretchen. Duty calls," she grinned rolling her eyes.

"Abigail, this is Donna Paulsen our COO, " Harvey said introducing them as they stood in the lobby.

Donna smiled but she thought she recognized the other woman from somewhere but couldn't place her. "Good to meet you Abigail. I hope Harvey is looking after you! "

"So far," she replied. She turned her attention back to Harvey as she stepped into the elevator . "I expect to hear from you soon about what we discussed."

Harvey nodded. "I'll be in touch."

Donna frowned as the elevator closed. "I've seen her somewhere before. Where did I see her before?"

" i don't know Donna but she's going to be a handful. Have you seen Cece today? "

Donna glanced back at the elevator as she tried to place the woman.

"Donna?" Harvey said in exasperation.

"Oh sorry. Cece is on a date," she grinned.

"A date?" he queried with a puzzled look on his face.

"Yes. The guy she met last night took her out for lunch."

" Oh!...isn't it a bit soon for her to be dating? " Harvey asked.

"He took her out for lunch Harvey. It's hardly a full blown affair," replied Donna rolling her eyes. "She needs to have a bit of fun after everything she has been through. "

"Maybe, " replied Harvey. "I have a feeling she's going to be pissed with me soon enough though."

" Why? "

"Because I'm about to do something that she's not going to understand."

"Harvey, if this is about First Steps then you can't do anything, " Donna said looking at him with concern.

"Don't worry about it Donna. I have it in hand," he replied.

\\\\\/

"So you are a hockey playing running corporate lawyer?"Joe said as the two sat down for lunch on the open terrace at the Ivy Cafe a few blocks from the firm. The Ivy was a busy spot at lunchtimes with office workers and tourists dining there. It wad a bright and airy space with a glass atrium filled with flowers in the middle of the room. The terrace was relatively quiet as dark clouds ominously filled the sky over head. Thunderstorms were forecast which the weather channel said would clear the air after all the humidity.

"Yes I am," replied Celia with a smile. "And what is it you do?"

"Contract work mainly. Companies hire me to troubleshoot for them, " replied Joe.

"Oh. So kinda like MacGyver?" she grinned.

"Something like that," he chuckled.

Celia smiled to herself as she ate her Caesar salad.

"What is it?" He asked when he caught her smile.

" Nothing, " she said as he nodded his head with a raised eyebrow. "Ok. I'm having a good time."

"And you are surprised why?" He said his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"I'm not surprised I'm just..." Whatever she was going to say was stopped by big plops of rain which then resulted in a sudden downpour. It bounced off everything as people rushed to the interior of the restaurant. Joe pulled Celia under the terrace canopy and he held her as they stared out at the monsoon as it bounced off the sidewalk. Celia thought it was actually quite mesmerizing. She was immediately aware of his close proximity and she cast a quick look at him. He sensed her gaze and turned to look at her. Their eyes made contact and she placed her hand on the lapel of his jacket running her fingers over his shirt, brushing against his muscular chest.

"Um... I have to get back to the office," she said pulling out of his arms and walking back through the restaurant.

"Hey, Celia, wait up," Joe called following her out to the door.

"Thank you for lunch Joe," she said thinking she would be lucky if she got a taxi in this rain.

"This might seem forward to you Celia. But I'd like to see you again. Dinner next time?"

"Joe..." She started to say but he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "Don't think about it," he murmured .

"Ok ," she said breathlessly surprised by his unexpected move and by the fact that she had liked it.

"I'll call you later," he whispered his hand gently caressing her lips.

\\\/

Her meeting with Katrina and her deposition over she stood in front of the coffee pot in the associate kitchen. She turned to see Donna leaning against the door frame with a smile on her face. "So how was your date with the hot stud?"

"It wasn't a date Donna. It was lunch," she replied.

"You realize this makes you a cougar?" grinned Donna.

"Donna!" exclaimed Celia with a roll of her eyes.

"Cece. All I am saying is that you need some fun! Ohh you know what would be great?"

"What?"

"A double date with me and Thomas!" grinned Donna as she left the kitchen leaving Celia looking very bemused.

\\\\\/

"Ursula, can you put this in the internal post please?" Celia asked handing the receptionist an envelope.

"Hey."

She turned to see Harvey standing behind her. "Hey yourself."

"So I heard you had a date?" He said as they walked together to her office.

"It was lunch," replied Celia shaking her head in annoyance.

"While I am here, " Harvey began. "How far along are you with the First Steps sale?"

She shuffled some files on her desk. "Paperwork will be finalized by the end of the week. Why?"

"No reason, " replied Harvey shrugging his shoulders.

Celia glanced at him "Bullshit. You wouldn't ask me unless there was a reason to ask. So what is it? Franklyn wanted you to check up on me? You got a client who wants to buy it? " She saw the look that briefly crossed his face. "Oh my God! You have a client who wants to buy it! "

"Cece..."

"You can't do that Harvey. First Steps have already agreed to the sale. You would be operating in bad faith if you throw your hat in now!"

"We've already thrown our hat in the ring Cece. We put an offer in this afternoon." He reached into his inside pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Injunction requiring you to halt the sale. "

"You son of a bitch!" She exclaimed angrily as she read through the injunction. "You can't do this!"

"It's already done. There's a hearing in front of Judge Davenport scheduled for 2 days time."

"So much for loyalty," Celia said.

"It's business Cece. Nothing personal," replied Harvey leaving the room. He knew she was going to be pissed with him but she would understand his reasons for doing what he did.

\\\\\/

Heads turned when she entered the dimly lit bar. Celia took a deep breath and smiled nervously feeling self conscious and definitely out of place in her designer suit. Guys with tattoos and long hair stared at her as she walked through the room. She recognized some from them being before her when she was judge.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Benny?" She asked the bartender who merely indicated with a short nod of his head a far corner of the bar. She peered through the smokey haze and spotted a long haired skinny man seated at a table with a buxum blonde practically straddling his lap.

Ignoring the waft of stale beer and cigarette smoke she made her way across the roobe

"Benny," she said when she got to the table.

He looked up to see her and let out a long whistle. "Well if it isn't Judge Laurence. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

She glanced at the woman who was hanging out of him and he whispered into her ear. The woman looked annoyed as she flounced off to the bar.

"Mind if I sit?" asked Celia.

Benny nodded and she perched on the small stool facing him.

"What can I do for you..._your honour_?"

"I'm no longer a judge," replied Celia.

"Ahh that's right, " smirked Benny. "You're a big bad corporate lawyer now. Moving up in the world I see. "

"And you have gone from being a big bad stockbroker to owning ...this...place.. in Jersey," Celia said glancing around the bar again.

"Gotta dream big Celia. You gotta dream big . And what has you crossing the river into Jersey?"

She took a deep breath. "I need a favour."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and sat with his arm across the back of his chair. "Let me guess this straight. You strip me of my license and waltz in here looking for a favour? "

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate Benny!" A loud shout startled her and she looked around to see two of the guys getting up in to each others faces while the others stood around egging them on.

"You see that guy over there? You put away him for 3 years. He's out on parole. He's drunk as a skunk and probably wouldn't recognise you as much as he wouldn't recognise his own mother right now, " Benny pointed to a guy who was slumped over the bar. "But I'd say he would love to see you now. "

Celia glanced over quickly and then back at him. "Benny this is serious."

He smirked again and got to his feet. "Ok miss corporate lawyer. Let's talk in my office. But first let's have a real party! " He grabbed a bottle of tequila from the bar. "This is the good stuff. Not like that pretentious Macallan shit you corporate lawyers seem to favour. "

He leaned back in his chair and stared at her as she told him what she needed. He laughed as he opened the bottle of tequila. "So let me get this straight. You want to short some stocks to prevent a sale going through." He shook his head in amusement as he poured out two shots of the amber liquid. He passed one over to her.

"Yeah pretty much," replied Celia foregoing the salt as she knocked back the shot grimacing as the liquid burned her throat on the way down.

"Ok. Ok. You do realize that this is against the law don't you? And you... A fine upstanding law abiding citizen...judge in a former life.. Didn't you swear an oath to uphold the law? "

She sighed as he poured her another shot . "Can you do it or not? Because if not I'll just go to someone else." She began to rise from the chair but he reached out and took her arm.

"Hold on a minute Celia. Who else are you going to go for this?"

She bit on her bottom lip. "Maybe this was a mistake. I'm sorry I bothered you."

"Hey, sit down for a minute Celia," he pushed her back in the chair. "You've come to me with this. I can help you get this company and screw over your partner in the process. "

"How did you know it was one of my partners?" Celia asked.

"Because it's always a partner...or an ex lover, " chuckled Benny. He noticed her face flushing. "So it's an ex lover?"

"Does it matter Benny?" Celia asked starting to feel frustrated. She picked up the shot glass and swallowed the liquid in one gulp.

"No it doesn't," he said. He was silent for a minute. 'Ok you have two options. First one is short the stocks of the buyer's company. Then they won't be able to afford to buy. "

"Not possible," replied Celia shaking her head. "It's my understanding that she has her own money."

Benny 's head bobbed up and down. "Ok. So our next option is shorting the stocks of the company you want to buy. Value goes down. No one will want to buy. You swoop in like the hero you are and buy the company at less than market value. Hey presto. Everyone is happy."

"How low do the stocks need to go?"

"Less than 20%, " replied Benny.

Celia took in a breath and let it out slowly. "Wow, that's a big risk!"

"But is it a risk you are willing to take?"

Celia was silent for a moment. "If I blow this deal I lose a valuable client. I can't let that happen"

"And if this blows back. You'll go to prison, " replied Benny. "So I ask again. Is it a risk you are willing to take?"

She looked at him directly in the eyes. "Yes I am."

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

Celia clipped in her seat belt of the private plane owned by Boylston Technologies. She and Richard Franklyn were taking an early morning flight to tour the manufacturing division of the company in Rochester. She stifled a yawn as she had tossed and turned all night. In the small hours of the morning she came to the conclusion that she shouldn't have gone to Benny to manipulate First Steps stocks. She had called him as soon as she had gotten out of bed but there was no answer. She had left a message asking him not to do anything but he hadn't called her back yet.

She pulled out her cellphone as they waited for the plane to start moving. "Hi. It's me again. If you got my first message then I am asking you not to proceed with what we discussed. I'm on a flight to Rochester so will have my phone turned off but call me back when you get this message. "

"Everything ok?" Richard Franklyn asked as he sat down opposite her.

She nodded and smiled. "Yes. Everything is fine. "

"Sorry about the 6am flight but I need to be back in the city by lunchtime," Richard said as the plane started to taxi on the runway.

"That's fine Richard. I need to get back as well," replied Celia as she sat back in the comfortable seat and looked out the window. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon casting orange and red hues of light through towering dark rain clouds.

"Richard, We need to discuss the First Steps sale, " she said turning from the window to face the man in front of her.

"I thought it was all in hand," he replied.

"There's been a hitch. Another company has thrown their hat in the ring and filed an injunction. The hearing is tomorrow," she explained .

"An injunction to stop the sale? I presume you have it in hand." He looked over his glasses at her.

"Yes I do Richard," she smiled.

"Good. I want that company so you need to do whatever it takes for that sale to go through, " Richard said turning back to his newspaper.

Celia sat back in her seat as the plane roared down the runway and took off into the dawn.

\\\\\\\/

"So you see Celia, the software for the micro chip is manufactured here," Richard Franklyn explained as they walked through the manufacturing plant.

"This is all very interesting," replied Celia. "I can see now how beneficial the First Steps sale will be to the development of the core products. "

"Yes it will be, " Richard's cell phone started to ring and he excused himself to answer it.

Celia exhaled slowly as she checked her cell phone. There were no messages or calls from Benny but there was one message from Joe asking her if she wanted to go dinner that evening.

She replied to him._ I'm in Rochester on business. Might not be back in NYC till later. Rain Check? _

"You gotta be fucking kidding me?" She heard Richard say over the phone.

Her phone beeped as she noticed Richard still on the phone starting to look a bit agitated.

Joe replied. _"Tomorrow night?"_

_"I'll call you! Pretty busy. Court cases pending. Need to prepare." _

"Celia." She glanced up from her phone to see Richard walking over to her.

"What is it?"

"First Steps stock has taken a massive nose dive this morning," he replied as he headed towards the exit. "If they go down any more points the company will be worth nothing."

She felt her mouth go dry as she followed him out. "We can still buy it Richard."

" First the injunction, now this. This is sabotage! "

Celia stared at him in shock as he went into the manager's office. Breathing slowly she walked out to the parking lot and dialled Benny's number. When she got no reply she left a message. "Goddamit Benny! I don't know what the hell are you doing. I want you to stop this! Call me now! "

/\\\

Harvey sat through the meeting with a long time client bored out of his mind. The client went on and on about how his partner had screwed him over and that he was going to sue him for everything he got.

"Jeremy. It sounds like a misunderstanding. Take him to the Rangers game and suck it up, " he said ignoring the vibrating cell phone on the desk beside him.

"Harvey, I don't think you realized the severity of the situation..."

"Take him to the game Jeremy," Harvey said rolling his eyes. Reaching into his inside pocket he pulled out two tickets as he stood up. He handed them to Jeremy while guiding him out of the office. "On the house."

He glanced at the empty cubicle outside the office and sighed. He was never going to find another PA. He had fired the temp this morning for not having his files in the correct order.

His cell phone vibrated again and he picked it up to see that it was Abigail. He tutted to himself as he answered the call.

"Harvey! What the hell is going on with First Steps? " she demanded over the phone.

"What do you mean? " Harvey asked sitting down in his chair.

"The stocks have been falling all day!"

"Could be someone who knows about the sale and wants to offload the stock beforehand, " mused Harvey.

"I don't care. I want you to get to the bottom of it," Abigail said hanging up the phone.

Harvey stood in the middle of the hallway for a moment before he headed towards Celia's office.

"She's gone to Rochester for the day, " Her secretary Gloria said to him when she saw him approaching. Gloria had been her secretary when Celia worked as a judge. She jumped at the chance of working at the firm when Celia asked her come over. Although she did have to tone down the flamboyantly coloured hair after Louis had threatened to have her fired for not adhering to the correct dress code.

"Will you tell her I need to see her?" Harvey asked.

"I will indeed, " replied Gloria.

"Thanks, " He smiled lightly tapping his knuckle off the side of the cubicle and walked back to his office.

\\\\\/

Celia arrived back in the firm shortly after lunchtime.

"Harvey was looking for you earlier," Gloria told her as she handed her some documents to sign.

"Did he say what about?" she asked going in to her office.

"He didn't but he was looking pretty pissed off," replied Gloria.

"Probably pissed off that he fired yet another temp and Donna told him she wasn't going to get him anyone else, " Celia said rolling her eyes. "I don't want to be disturbed for the next while. But could you set up the mediation meetings with Esther Edelstein's employees? The file is on your desk. "

Gloria nodded as she left the office.

Celia sat at her desk and turned on her computer. She checked the stock for First Steps and saw that it had fallen five more points. "Shit," she muttered to herself as she took her cellphone out of her briefcase. Still no calls or messages from Benny. She dialled his number again and this time he answered.

"Benny, what the fuck are you doing? " she demanded.

"What are you talking about? " he said down the line.

"Didn't you get my messages? I asked you to not to proceed."

"Sorry Celia. Never got those messages. I was doing what you asked me to do, " Benny replied reaching for a beer from the bar.

"I left 5 messages," she said through gritted teeth.

"I asked you last night if you were willing to take that risk and you said you were fine with it. Too late to back out now! "

"Godammit Benny. You need to stop now!" She began to pace her office .

"Too late now," Benny said hanging up the phone.

She stared at the phone in her hand. It took her every ounce of restraint not to fling it across the room. She bit on a thumbnail as she turned towards the window. Dark thunder clouds ominously filled the sky and every so often lightening flashed in the distance.

/\\\\\

"What the hell did you do?"

Celia took a deep breath as she steeled herself for this confrontation with Harvey. She turned around from the window with her arms folded. Nervously she smoothed out her skirt. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Harvey closed the door as he came further into the office. "First Steps. Their stock has been falling all morning. "

"What does that have to with me?" She remained steadfast behind her desk like she wanted to create a barrier between them.

"It's not a coincidence that First Steps stock begins to fall after you were served an injunction yesterday! "

"Stocks go up and down all the time Harvey! "

"Don't lie to me Celia!" His voice rising an octave as he moved over to her desk to where she was standing. "Why did you do it?"

With her heart beating rapidly she saw the look of fury in his eyes and stepped backwards. "It wasn't fair. "

"That's your defense? It wasn't fair?" He looked at her incredulously.

"Do you think it's fair to go after the company that I was buying? " replied Celia pointing to her chest to emphasize her point.

"I don't believe this Cece. You've put your career on the line with this action and you're asking me how fair it is? "

She shook her head. "You knew that we were on the verge of purchasing that company and you slap us with an injunction!'

"I slapped you with that injunction to help you buy that company!" replied Harvey.

"How would that work Harvey?" scoffed Celia.

" You know damn well that Judge Davenport would have sided with you! "

"That's bullshit Harvey!"

"Fact of the matter is you have broken the law Celia. You committed a crime, " repeated Harvey.

"And how is that different from any of the times you broke the law to help someone? Mike Ross for example! "

"That's different and you know that! You put yourself, the firm and Boylston at risk with your...stupid actions. You could get disbarred, thrown into prison! " Celia 's mouth formed a thin line but didn't reply. "You're no better than Phillip," Harvey continued.

"How dare you compare me to him!" she exclaimed not believing he would bring Phillip into it.

"It's the truth Cece."

She let out a short breath before sitting back down in her chair realizing he was right. Her hand went up to her mouth as she leaned her elbows on her desk. "What have I done?" she said in a whisper .

Harvey stared at her for a moment. "Who did you go to? "

She looked up at him and swallowed. "Benny."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Benny Callahan? Jesus Christ. He's a piece of shit! "

"I tried to stop him Harvey. I had second thoughts this morning and called him. I got no answer. I've been calling all day. Left messages. When I eventually spoke to him he said he never got them. I thought..."

Harvey paced the room running his hand through his hair. He stopped his pacing and turned to look at her. "You thought you could trust him? You stripped him of his license! Jesus!"

"Why didn't you tell me about your plan with the injunction?"

"Doesn't matter now." He didn't say anything for a moment but then he turned around and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Celia asked.

"To fix it," he replied not looking back at her.

/\\\\\

"Samantha, we have a problem," Harvey said going into her office.

"If it 's about Jacobson putting us in review I have it in hand," replied the blonde lawyer leaning back in her chair.

"It's not about that. Why did Jacobson put us in review?"

"Don't worry. It's been handled." She noticed that he had a furious look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Jesus Christ. Is she that stupid? " Samantha asked after he had filled her in on the situation. "Who did she go to?"

"Benny Callahan, "Harvey informed her.

She opened her mouth in shock. "Benny Callahan? Jesus he's fucking garbage."

"I know Samantha, believe me I know. Question is what can we do?"

"I'm not getting involved in this Harvey. It's her mess. Let her clean it up."

"I know you both have had your differences Samantha. But teammates look out for each other don't they? " Harvey said.

A sarcastic laugh escaped from her mouth. "Are you trying to guilt me into helping you?"

"Maybe? Is it working? " Harvey said giving her a slight smile.

She sat back in her chair looking thoughtful. "Ok. I have an idea. You know any stockbrokers?"

Harvey nodded slowly. "Stu Buzzini. He's helped us out a time or two."

"You go see him then. I need to see a man about a bike."

"What do you mean? " Harvey said feeling puzzled.

"Never mind. I'll call you later," replied Samantha as she picked up her cellphone as Harvey nodded and left her office.

"You know you really are a piece of work?" Samantha said entering Celia 's office several minutes later. She looked up in surprise when she heard her voice.

"He told you?"

"I'd report you to the bar and have your license removed faster than you could say Jiminy Cricket," Samantha said walking over to the desk and leaned forward on it. "I'll help Harvey fix this but you better remember that you owe me!"

To be continued


	5. Chapter 5

Author Notes

Sorry about the delay in this chapter.

I did love the finale of Suits and can't believe it's actually over. I will be continuing this story even after the amazing events in the finale. This story iAU so who knows what may happen in it!

\\\\\\\/

"You want me to do what?" Stu Buzzini leaned forward in his chair and chuckled at Harvey.

Harvey rolled his eyes at his friend. "You heard me. I'm not going to repeat myself! "

Stu typed on his computer and a graph came up on the screen. "First Steps is a loser Harvey. Someone 's been dumping that stock all day. "

"I know but this will get someone I care about out of a jam and you get to buy a company at a cheap price," Harvey said. "It's a win win!"

"Not for me it's not, " replied Stu.

"Then you can turn it around and sell it a big profit or do what you want with it. "

" What's in it for me?"

"The joy that you have helped a friend in need, " grinned Harvey.

Stu sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. "Ok. Say I did do this. I'm gonna want to keep it."

"Do what you want with it," replied Harvey.

Stu nodded and sat back in his chair as he left the office.

He was barely out on the busy street when his cellphone buzzed inside his breast pocket. He reached inside and pulled out. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw that it was a text message from Samantha.

_Meet me outside your building at 8pm. Dress down._

_\\\\\\\/_

Harvey looked at his watch as he stood outside his apartment building. Samantha was 15 minutes late. He sighed as he watched yellow taxi cabs honked at each other on the busy street.. He loved the sound of the city. Daytime or nighttime he loved the buzz.

A motorbike roared up and stopped in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise when Samantha took off the black helmet. She was wearing black leather from head to toe. Her eyes took in his casual attire of black jeans and white tshirt with a black suede jacket.

"I told you to dress down Harvey," Samantha said getting off the bike.

"What do you mean dress down? I am dressed down," he replied indicating his clothes.

"You look like you are going to the whiskey bar not a biker bar in Jersey," the blonde lawyer said handing him another helmet.

"This yours? " Harvey asked looking over the motorbike.

"Yeah. I don't get to ride it as much as I want," replied Samantha.

"Cool," Harvey said moving his hand over the seat of the bike.

She noticed he didn't seem very enthused about getting on it. "You're not a bike fan?"

"Not really, " admitted Harvey. "My father owned one but I never saw the appeal. I'm more of a classic car person."

"You're afraid of it aren't you," Samantha said with a laugh.

"No!" exclaimed Harvey.

"I don't believe it! The great Harvey Specter is afraid of something," she teased.

"I'm not! We don't have time for chit chat. Let 's go," he said putting the helmet on and swang his legs over the back of the bike. Samantha grinned as she put her own helmet on and sat on the bike. Harvey held on for dear life as Samantha sped through the city streets and over the GW bridge which spanned the Hudson River.

\\\\\/

Harvey sat at the smokey bar drinking a beer as he watched the comings and goings of the biker bar. A TV blared in one corner of the room as it showed the latest football game and a few of the customers were jostling each other around the pool table. He glanced behind him and saw Benny sitting at a table knocking back a bottle of tequila with a voluptuous blonde woman. He grabbed her face and they started kissing roughly.

"Hey handsome."

He turned his head to see a brunette with a sparkling low cut top standing beside him.

"Hey," he said giving her a smile.

She placed her hand on his arm she she moved closer to give him a full view of her cleavage. "I haven't seen you around here before. I'm Janine."

"Just here for a beer," he replied averting his eyes and looking towards the door. _Where the hell was Samantha he thought._

"If you need some company I'll be right over there," Janine said indicating a table in the corner. He watched as her ass wiggled from side to side as she moved across the room. She sat down and took a swig from her beer bottle as she kept her eyes on him.

The door to the bar opened and all heads swivelled to see Samantha standing at the door. One of the patrons let out a low whistle as she strode across the floor to the bar giving Harvey a slight nod when she passed him. The bartender immediately went over to her and she ordered a whiskey.

"I'm looking for Benny," she said leaning across the bad wanting to make herself heard. The barman nodded and indicated the corner where Benny was seated with a slight turn of his head.

"Thanks," she said picking up the whiskey glass and made her way over to the corner. She stopped in front of the table and placed the whiskey glass down on it. He looked up at her with bleary eyes. "Can I help you?"

"I heard you where the best mechanic around, " Samantha said placing a hand on her hip.

"Amongst other things," he sniggered.

She rolled her eyes and sat down in front of him. "I have a problem with my bike. "

He sat back against the wall and took a drink from his beer bottle. "What's wrong with it?"

" I'm not sure. It's outside if you could take a look at it, " replied Samantha with a smile.

He let out a small laugh. "Lady, I ain't looking at it now. It's drinking time now!"

"I'll pay you 500 bucks. "

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "500?"

"It's an emergency. I really need my bike fixed tonight! I can go to Jake over by Bayonne if it's a problem, " Samantha said starting to stand up.

"It's out of hours. Make it an even 1000," Benny said as he stood up.

"$1000?"

"Take it or leave it, " he said gesturing with his hands.

"Ok," replied Samantha. "It's outside."

"Lead the way. "

Harvey waited a few minutes before following them out.

Samantha led Benny to where the bike was parked down the dark alley way behind the bar. "This is it. "

"What exactly is wrong with it?" Benny asked as he looked over the motorbike.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Harvey said walking into the alley way.

Benny turned to see him. "What the hell is going on here?"

"First Steps Inc. We want you to reverse what you did with the stocks," replied Samantha stepping closer to him.

"I get what this is," he smirked. "The dishonorable judge sent you. "

"No she didn't Benny," Harvey said pushing him up against the wall. "Reverse the stock trade or we will let your parole officer know that you've been illegally trading."

"That's a violation of your parole conditions. You'll be thrown back in prison," Samantha said watching as Harvey kept one hand on the other man's shoulder.

"I was just doing what I was asked to do," Benny said pushing Harvey's hand away but Harvey was quicker and slammed him back into the wall.

"So if you were asked to put your hand in to a fire would you do that too you piece of shit!" exclaimed Harvey through gritted teeth putting his forearm against his throat. Benny made a choking sound while Harvey kept his arm in position.

"Harvey, we don't want to kill him," Samantha reminded him. Harvey loosened his arm as Benny who bent over coughing and rubbing his throat.

"So what's it gonna be? Loose your freedom again or reverse those trades," Harvey asked.

Benny looked up from his bended position and glared at the two. "You're bluffing.'

Harvey let out a small laugh as he took out his cellphone. "Not about this Benny. Why don't we call your parole officer and see what he has to say about the situation. Jason Bloomfield isn't it? I know him well. We play poker together sometimes. "

Benny spat on the ground as he rubbed his throat again before standing up. "Alright! I'll reverse the trade but you tell Celia that if I ever see her again I..."

"Watch yourself Benny. Threatening a judge or even a former judge is a crime!" Harvey said with narrowed eyes.

"And just to make sure you will do what you are saying you are going to do we will stay with you until it done," Samantha said. "So move and get it done!"

"We'll go through the back door to your office. Your esteemed customers don't need to know what is going on," Harvey said pushing Benny towards the back door of the bar. He glanced at Samantha as they went through.

\\\\\/

The following morning Stu got out of the car in front of the courthouse. His cellphone buzzed and he stopped to answer the text bumping into Celia who had just alighted from her own car. Papers and files lay strewn across the pavement as Celia swore under her breath.

"Watch where you're going will you?" She said in irritation as she leaned down to pick up the files.

"I'm sorry. I'm such a butter fingers," Stu said as he knelt down and helped to pick everything up. He stood up as he shoved the files into her arms before noticing her. She rolled her eyes and muttered a thank you as she walked quickly to the courthouse. He couldn't help but stare after her

"What are you staring at?" Harvey asked as he came up behind him. He was exhausted from the night before. Benny had reversed the trade on the shares with him and Samantha watching on.

"I just met the most incredible looking woman," Stu said still looking at the entrance to the building.

"And you didn't get her name?" chuckled Harvey.

"She went off in that direction," Stu said pointing to the courthouse. "A woman that beautiful wouldn't be hard to find. "

"Why would a woman that beautiful be interested in a dufus like you? "grinned Harvey taking off behind Stu who had started walking quickly forwards the courthouse.

He didn't answer as he glanced around the lobby of the courthouse but couldn't see the woman he had just met.

"Keep your mind on what you have to do Stu," Harvey reminded him as the other man sighed in disappointment when he couldn't see her.

"Don't worry Harvey. I know the plan," Stu said turning to look at him.

"Good!" replied Harvey. "Because I would hate for this deal to go south because of a mystery woman." He grinned as he tapped the man's shoulder as he walked towards the judge 's chambers.

/\\\\\

"Your Honor. We filed this injunction to stop the sale of First Steps Inc to Boylston Technologies. Gailann are in a better position to buy this company, " Harvey said to the Judge who was seated at her desk.

"That's bullshit Harvey. Boyleston can nurture and fulfill every requirement for this sale. Not to mention we got there first!" exclaimed Celia with a roll of her eyes.

"That's your argument Celia? You got there first?" Harvey asked glancing at her.

"Yes we got there first Harvey! "

The judge glanced at the paperwork in front of her. "How do you explain the dip in shares over the last 24 hours?"

"That would be an investment from Stevens Investment Group," Stu said coming into the room. He stopped and his eyes widened when he saw Celia standing in front of the judge.

"Who the hell are you?" She demanded as she folded her arms in front of her.

"Stu Buzzini, " he replied with a charming smile as he held his hand out in front of him. Celia glared at him and ignored his outstretched hand. Harvey glanced between the two as Stu pushed his hand into his pocket.

"I'm a major shareholder in First Steps Inc as of from today, your honor," Stu said turning to the Judge.

Celia let out a short laugh. "The hell you are! Did you put him up to this?" She asked turning to look at Harvey .

Harvey shook his head. "I've no idea what you are talking about. "

The judge looked between the three people standing in front of her. "Mr Buzzini. This is unprecedented but as you are now a major shareholder you now sit on the board and have a say in the purchase of this company. As it stands I will be placing a stay on the sale and review all the documentation and make my decision at a later date... "

"But your honor... " Celia started to say as the judge began to stand.

"I should have a decision in 24 hours. "

The three watched as the judge left the room. Celia glared at both man as she picked up her briefcase and left the room. Stu glanced at Harvey and followed her out. Harvey rolled bis eyes again as he followed the other man out the door.

"You put him up to this!" Celia exclaimed once they were out of the building.

"I did Celia. To get you out that goddamn mess you created!" Harvey said as all three stood on the steps. "You know she is going to rule that SIG is the biggest investor and thus can block or decide if a sale goes through."

" I'll be on the board Celia, "Stu said. "If the judge makes a decision where SIG will have the deciding vote then we will be voting that Boyston will benefit from the sale."

Celia exhaled deeply and shook her head. "And what if she doesn't ?"

"I'm still a major shareholder..."

"This is bullshit, " Celia interrupted Stu.

"Well I'm going to leave you kids to fight it out," Harvey said before he walked down the steps and into his waiting car.

"Now that we will we be working together why don't we have dinner and get to know each other a little better," Stu said following Celia down the steps.

She stopped and turned around. "Sure. How about when hell freezes over? " she smirked as she continued on towards her car.

Stu was left staring after her. "_Turn around and look back." he said to himself._ He smiled to himself when he saw that Celia had glanced back at him as she got into her car.

/\\\\\I

"I want to know what's going on with that sale," Abigail Walston said over the phone to Harvey who was sitting in his car.

"The judge said she would make a ruling in the next 24 hours," replied Harvey as he stared out the tinted windows of his Lexus. Ray was honking madly at a car that had pulled out in front of him.

"I want that company," demanded the woman.

"Abigail, the judge's ruling will be final. We may not be able to buy it. We can look for another company for you..."

" i don't want any other company Harvey. And if the judge doesn't rule in our favor then I will fire you! "

"What did you just say to me?" Harvey asked not believing his ears.

"You heard me," Abigail said before hanging up on the call.

Harvey exhaled deeply as the car pulled up to the glass fronted bung of the firm.

"Louis, we have a problem," he said stepping into the managing partner's office.

Louis looked up from the latest email from Sheila with a list of things to do before the baby arrives. Decorating the spare room for a nursery was top of the list. Louis wanted a cat theme but Sheila wanted neutral because the baby could be allergic. "What is it Harvey?"

"It's Abigail Walston. She's threatening to fire us if we don't buy First Steps," he replied.

"She's what?" Louis looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

"It got complicated. Cece had Benny Callahan to short the stocks to stop us buying the company. "

"She did what? Why the fuck would she do that? Louis said standing up behind his desk.

"It's been handled Louis. The judge is likely going to rule in Boylston's favor but Abigail is obviously not impressed with my handling of the situation. "

"I'll call her. Convince her not to leave, " replied Louis sitting back down.

"Thanks Louis." Harvey walked back over to the door of the office.

"Harvey, " Louis said as he reached the threshold.

He stopped and looked back at his friend. "What?"

"What are we going to do about Celia?"

"What do you mean?" Harvey asked.

"I mean. She committed a crime. How are we going to deal with that?"

Harvey lowered his head and then looked at Louis. "I don't know."

\\\\\/

"Stu? What are you doing here? " Donna asked when she saw him stepping out of the elevator when she was walking past.

"Hey Red. How's it going with the new man?" Stu said with a smile.

"It's great, " she replied with a suggestive raise of her eyebrow.

"That's terrific Donna. It's good to see you happy," Stu said with a genuine tone in his voice. "And if you still want to come work for me the offer remains."

"I'll keep that in mind Stu, " replied Donna. "Are you here to see Harvey? "

"No Celia actually. I heard back from the judge and wanted to let her know," he said.

"She's in her office. It's the last office on this floor."

Stu nodded. "Thanks Donna. By the way is she...you know..."

Donna looked at him with confusion before realizing what he meant. "I think it might be best if you go slow with her."

Stu nodded as he turned and headed for the direction of Celia's office.

"Donna, Louis wants to see you in his office," Gretchen said coming up behind her.

"What for?" she asked.

"I don't know. Something about a partner meeting. He wants Alex and Samantha too," replied Gretchen rolling her eyes.

"It must be serious. We don't have a meeting scheduled till next week," Donna said .

"For all I know it could be to ratify baby names," Gretchen said as Donna laughed.

/\\\\\

"Nice office," Stu said as he entered Celia 's office. She looked up from a law book that was on her desk.

"Stu? What are you doing here?

"I just heard back from Judge Davenport, " he replied moving closer to her desk.

Her brow furrowed as she looked at the dark haired man. "Why would she call you?"

"I'm a major shareholder. But she has ruled in our favor! "

Celia pushed her lips together as she nodded. "That's great but you didn't have to come all the way down here to tell me that. You could have done that over the phone. "

"But then I wouldn't have seen the happy look on your face," he grinned .

She rolled her eyes as she picked up her briefcase and put some files into it.

"Thank you would be nice," Stu said shoving a hand into his pocket .

She glanced at him as she shut down her laptop and put that in her briefcase. "Thanks."

" Listen, now that we are going to be working together why don't we go for a drink to celebrate? " He walked over to the window beside her.

"I'll give you the same answer as before! " she smirked as she pushed passed him and left her office.

"Well we're going to be seeing a lot of each other," he said following her. "You can't turn me down forever."

"Want a bet?" She said. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to be somewhere important. "

\\\\\/

Louis watched the hockey practice through the glass partition. He pulled his overcoat in closer to him. It was freezing in the rink. Why anyone would want to subject themselves to such temperatures was beyond him when they could succumb to the pleasures of mudding instead. Celia skated around the rink and noticed him waving to her. She pulled off her helmet and skated over.

"Are you here to be my goal keeper?" she asked when she reached him.

"Are you coming mudding with me?" He replied with a smile. "Sit down. We need to talk."

"You know?" she said as she took her skates off and sat on the bench.

"I do Celia. Harvey told me. We had a management meeting and we came to a decision," Louis said hating this part.

Celia glanced at him and saw the look on his face. "Are you firing me?"

Louis gave her a small smile. "Samantha was all for having you fired..."

She dropped her head . "Oh."

" ...but we came to another decision instead.'

"What's that?" She asked.

" You need to call Richard Franklyn and tell him what you did. It will be his decision on whether or not he lets you go... "

"I guess I can live with that!" A feeling of relief washed over her.

"You also apologize to Samantha and Harvey. They put themselves at enormous risk last night to get you out of this."

"I didn't know that, " she replied.

Louis exhaled sharply as he continued."And the last thing...you won't be considered for name partner this year. "

Her heart sank at this part as she sat back against the hard bench. "Will I be considered ever?"

"I can't answer that Celia. You are welcome to continue working at the firm under the conditions already set out in your contract but you won't get your promotion this year, " he replied.

She silently nodded her head as she rolled her thumbs together.

Louis glanced at her. "Hey, What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" she asked turning her head to look at him.

"This isn't something you would do. I've known you a long time Cece. Even when you were an associate, you were by the book. I remember you calling Harvey out for some shit he did."

"I just thought..." her voice trailed off as Louis took her hand in his.

"It's ok to grieve you know, " he said gently.

"I don't know what you mean, " she replied feeling tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I know what Phillip did was shitty but you still loved him Celia. And trying to pretend that everything is alright is just going to make things worse in the long run, " he said as she sniffed and took a gulp of air.

"I've all these...thoughts going around...I thought burying myself in my work would help...but it hasn't. "

Louis handed her his pocket square as she wiped the tears that started to roll down her cheek. "I could recommend Dr Lipschitz...or if you don't want to see him I can get another name...but one thing I do know Cece. You can't go on like this. "

"Thanks Louis, " she smiled. Her eyes still glistening. "How did you get to be so wise?"

"Therapy, " he chuckled as he brought her towards him and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Lots and lots of therapy."

\\\\\/

Celia stood by the door frame of Harvey's office. He was sitting in his chair staring out at the Manhattan skyline deep in thought. "Harvey."

He turned at the sound of his name. "Whatever you have to say Celia don't bother we're done!"

"Harvey!" she exclaimed.

"Stay working here if you want but don't come near me, " he said picking up a file.

Celia lowered her head and looked at the floor. She let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time Celia. Samantha and I risked our lives to get you of this!"

"I'm really thankful, I am..."

"Being sorry and saying thank you isn't going to cut it this time! Get out of my office. We're done!"

She stood by the door for several seconds. "You know Harvey. I called Richard Franklyn to tell him what happened. Do you know what he said? He thanked me and told me that if I was willing to take such a huge risk for his company then I'm the sort of person he wants to represent his company. So while you and Samantha vilify me for this... the one person who really was affected by this appreciated that I was looking out for his business as per my remit! "

Harvey leaned back in his chair as she continued. "So Samantha may not want want me working here and you're not going to support me for name partner. I am just going to say this once. I'm not going anywhere!"

He opened his mouth to say something but she had already left the office

\\\\\/

Abigail put the phone down after she spoke to Louis. She poured herself a glass of wine and heard the door opening. She stood at the counter waiting for him to come in.

"Is it done?" he asked throwing his overcoat onto the couch.

She smiled as she gazed at him. "Yes it is. I promised them that we wouldn't fire them or sue them for malpractice."

Daniel Hardman grinned as he pulled her closer to him. "Good. The plan is in motion. We'll get Harvey out of the firm once and for all."

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

Author Notes

I have seen the finale of Suits and absolutely loved it but this story is an AU so who knows what may happen in it!

/-oOo-\

A slight crisp chill in the air heralded the start of fall. Soon the leaves on the trees would be turning into their beautiful colours as the dark nights of winter approached. A light drizzly rain fell on the busy New York streets. Samantha stood underneath her umbrella as she waited for her bagel and coffee at the cart situated outside the glass building of the firm.

"Samantha."

She turned to see a woman wearing a baggy sweater and jeans standing behind her. "Oh my God Lesley. What are you doing here? "

"I need your help," the woman said to the lawyer.

"So tell me slowly what happened," Samantha said as the two sat down on a nearby bench.

"I paid my health insurance religiously every month but I lost my job and I missed a payment. The Insurance company cancelled my policy even though I then offered to pay the arrears and then Ruthie got sick and I couldn't afford to get her the care she needed, " explained Lesley.

"But if you only missed one payment that's no reason to cancel your policy. Did you miss any other payments? "

"No I didn't Samantha but they said it was in the terms and conditions," replied Lesley.

"And you didn't read the terms and conditions of course!"

"Who does?" Lesley said with a wry grin.

"Ok. Who's the insurance company? We will try and get this reversed, " Samantha said as she sipped her coffee.

"Klineman Insurance," replied Lesley handing her a file.

"Shit!" replied Samantha as she rubbed her forehead.

"What?"

"I represent Klineman Insurance. I won't be able to take on this case."

"Samantha, please. When we lived at Judy's house I covered for you when you snuck out the window to meet Danny Bonduchi. You owe me! " Lesley said as she turned to face the other woman.

"And I paid back that debt when I hid that marijuana for you, " Samantha said in a low tone leaning forward.

Lesley lowered her head as she wrung her hands together. "Please Samantha."

Samantha heard the pleading in her voice and felt that she had no other options but to help her. "Ok. I'll see what I can do, " she said with a sigh.

\\-oOo-/

Celia sat in the small conference room opposite her office with Esther's employee, Janine. She was explaining to Celia how she couldn't possibly work with her manufacturing manager Steve again as they'd had a disagreement about a change in the process of manufacturing a critical component in one of Esther's products.

"Then he shouted at me when I told him that this new process would only slow down productivity and efficiency, " Janine said.

Celia brought her hands together in front of her. "Janine. When you work so closely with someone as you do with Steve and when you have a falling out it's often better to sit down with them and honestly talk about what led you to having that disagreement in the first place. "

"Have you ever been in this situation?" Janine asked.

Celia was silent for a moment as she thought back to her falling out with Harvey three weeks before. He only spoke to her if it was to do with work and avoided taking the elevator with her apart from that one time where only one elevator was in service and they had to use it together. The tension and silence between them on the ride down to the lobby had been palpable. She smiled at the young woman sitting in front of her. "Yes I have."

"And how did you deal with it? "

Celia exhaled deeply as she considered her answer. "We're not discussing me. But I would like you to consider an informal meeting with Steve, Esther and myself so we can get to the crux of the problem."

'I'd rather not, " Janine said quietly.

"I know it will be hard but the sooner we all meet the quicker the issue will be solved," Celia replied taking out her diary to see what her schedule was like.

"Ok, I'll do it but only if you tell me what happened with your colleague," Janine said after a few minutes .

Celia looked up from her diary in surprise. "I told you we weren't discussing it but I will say one thing. The events that led up to us falling out I wouldn't change. I'd do it again."

"But do you regret losing that friendship?"

Celia nodded. "Yes I do

Janine smiled at the blonde lawyer. "Wow. Seems like you both could do with mediation as well."

"Probably," Celia said with a small laugh.

"When are you available for the next session?" Janine said taking out her phone and bringing up her calendar app.

"How does the day after tomorrow at 9am sound?"

"Should be fine," replied Janine typing on her phone.

"Good, I'll email Esther and Steve." Celia glanced at the other woman who put her phone back in her bag. "It's going to be ok."

Janine smiled as she stood up. "Thanks Celia."

"You're welcome, " she replied as both women walked towards the door of the conference room. Celia made her way back to her office and was surprised to see Samantha sitting on her desk.

"Samantha, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I need a favour and it's very important," she said with her arms folded.

"My schedule is quite tight at the moment," replied Celia walking around to her chair.

Samantha got to her feet and turned to face her. "You owe me. "

"I am aware of that Samantha but I've a lot on. Can't you get one of the associates to help you?"

"Are you forgetting that I got you out of that mess you created 3 weeks ago? "

"I haven't forgotten," replied Celia rolling her eyes.

"Ok. Then you won't mind doing this for me. Deposition is scheduled for 10am tomorrow," Samantha said handing her a manila file. Celia sighed and opened it. Her head shot back up after she read the contents of the file.

"Klineman? They're your client!"

" That's why I can't take this case, " replied Samantha.

"Ok. I'll push some things around and do this for you, " Celia said sitting down on her chair as Samantha left the office without saying another word.

"Thank you would be nice," she muttered under her breath. Her cellphone buzzed as she went through the file. She picked it up to see that it was a message from Joe. They've had a couple of dates since they had been out for lunch and she enjoyed his company. "_Dinner tonight?"_

_"Can't tonight! Have to work late. How about tomorrow night?" She replied_

_"Tomorrow night it is. I'll pick you up from work at 7pm. "_

_"Sounds good ."_

Celia sat back and smiled at her phone. She looked up to see Harvey walking past her office. He barely even glanced in at her and she sighed as she turned to look out her window.

\\-oOo-/

Celia sat with Lesley in the conference room waiting for the Klineman Insurance people to arrive.

"Just remember to answer factually and truthfully, " Celia said to the woman sitting beside her.

Lesley nodded just as Samantha entered the room followed by a grey haired man. "Samantha, thanks for.. "

"Ms Gray, I'm Samantha Wheeler representing Klineman Insurance. You know Robert Klineman. "

Lesley opened her mouth in surprise as Celia leaned forward in her chair. "I didn't realise that you would be representing them in this case Samantha," Celia said.

The other lawyer sat down opposite them and took out a video camera. "Klineman Insurance are my clients Celia of course I will be representing them."

"Then I formally request a change of representation. There is clearly a conflict of interest here, " replied Celia glancing at Lesley who had slumped back in her seat.

"I don't wish to change my representation,' Robert Klineman said matter of factly.

" Ok. If that's agreeable with my client? " Celia said turning to look at Lesley who sighed and nodded her head.

"Fine, Now that we have that out of way. Would you please state your name for the record," Samantha said turning on the video camera.

"Lesley Spencer."

"Ms Spencer. Where you aware of the penalty for letting your policy go into arrears?" Samantha asked.

"I didn't realise that it would be cancelled straight away," replied Lesley.

"But it was in the terms and conditions of your policy. I have a copy of it right here," Samantha pushed a file across the table. "You will see the relevant sections highlighted."

"That policy is a few years old. I didn't remember reading that when I took it out. "

"When you came to me the other day asking me for help you admitted that you hadn't read it did you not?" Samantha leaned forward in her chair. "I will remind you that you are under oath."

"I..I..." stammered Lesley.

"My client is simplifying her answer counselor. She didn't remember reading that part of the T & Cs," interjected Celia.

"The question remains. Did you or did you not read the terms and conditions?"

Lesley glanced at Celia who was sitting impressively beside her. "No."

"Then we have no reason to reinstate your policy," Samantha said getting to her feet.

"Wait a goddamn minute," Celia said standing up. "She has offered to pay the arrears. She has the money with her to do so!"

"She has $1500 to pay?" Robert Klineman asked.

Lesley went pale as she swallowed. "$1500? The arrears are only $300. "

"The arrears are $300 but to reinstate the policy it will cost $1200 In admin fees, 3 months in advance, " replied Klineman.

"That's bullshit," exclaimed Celia. "That's out and out bad faith. In the meantime this woman's 11 year old daughter is not getting the treatment she needs!"

"We're a business Ms Laurence. What do you suggest we do? We can't make exceptions for 1 person otherwise we will have to make them for everyone," Klineman said removing his glasses as Samantha sat back down again.

"I am asking you to look at yourself and think. What if it is was your 11 year old daughter that had uncontrolled epilepsy. Wouldn't you want to do anything to help her? "

Klineman exhaled sharply as he looked from Samantha to the other women across from him.

"A little decency goes a long way," Samantha said smiling at Lesley.

"Ok. I'll forget about the 3 months in advance. I will reinstate your policy when you pay the 300 bucks now. But the next time you go into arrears your policy will be cancelled again and there will be no second chances, " Klineman said in a stern voice.

"Thank you!" exclaimed Lesley standing up and ran to give the man a hug. Celia and Samantha glanced at each other and smiled. "Good work counselor, " Samantha whispered to her.

\\-o0o-/

"You look all dressed up," Donna said as she popped her head through the door of the associate's kitchen later that day. "Going somewhere nice?"

Celia nodded as she placed her coffee cup in the sink. "Joe and I are going out for dinner."

"Ooh this is becoming a habit now," teased Donna.

"It's dinner. I like him," smiled Celia as she leaned against the counter top.

"He must be good in the... "

"Stop right there," Celia interrupted her pushing the palm of her hand out in front of her. "We haven't reached that stage yet!"

Donna's eyes widened at the confession. "Wow. You've been seeing him for 3 weeks. He's hot stuff. You must be..."

"Horny as hell," sighed Celia.

"Then you better get yourself some hot stud muffin lovin' later then," winked Donna as Celia giggled.

"There you are," Gretchen came to the kitchen. "What are you two giggling about?"

" Gretchen. We are discussing something very serious. Whether or not Cece is going to get laid this evening, " Donna giggled as Celia rolled her eyes.

"That's too much information," replied Gretchen. "Louis wants to see you in his office right away Cece. "

"I'm about to head out for the evening Gretchen. I'll go see him tomorrow," replied Celia.

Gretchen shook her head. "No madam he wants to see you now. He said it's important.'

'If it's about the assignment I gave the associates he's in for one hell of a fight, " grumbled Celia as she left the kitchen.

"Hey," Donna called after her. "Maybe we could double date. Me and Thomas and you two. That would be fun! "

\\-oOo-/

"Louis, Gretchen said you need to see me? I have a date so this better not take long," Celia stepped in to his office and saw Harvey there standing beside another man she didn't recognise.

"Sit down Celia ," replied Louis indicating the chair in front of his desk.

"No thank you I prefer to stand," she replied looking between the three men.

" Celia, this is Stan Goodlen. He 's from the FBI, " Harvey said.

"FBI?"

"Ms Laurence. We were working with your husband up until his death, " Goodlen said to her as he took out his FBI credentials.

She glanced at them and then back at him. "I don't understand. Why was Phillip working with the FBI?"

"He had agreed to turn evidence over to us concerning the Shepherd gang."

"The Shepherds are a violent gang controlling drugs and prostitution out west. Phillip didn't have anything to do with them, "replied Celia.

"They are also involved in money laundering, racketeering, collections... "

"Celia, Phillip borrowed a significant amount from them to cover his tracks when he embezzled from his company," Harvey explained to her.

Her breath caught in her throat as she whispered. "What? "

"Your husband got involved in some illegal activities. When we approached him to bring down the Shepherds they found out and put a contract out on him."

"Oh my God," she whispered sitting down on the chair beside her. She covered her mouth with his hand.

"Have you had any contact with anyone that has been interested in Phillip's business," Godlen asked her.

"Did you know about this? " she asked turning her attention to Harvey and Louis who gave each other a look.

Harvey nodded. "Yes we did Cece."

"And you never told me? " She stood up again and pushed her fingers through her hair.

"It was confidential Celia," replied Louis.

"I don't believe this!" she exclaimed .

"Ms Laurence. Phillip was entering a witness protection program the day he died," Godlen said. "We don't believe his death was accident. "

"The police said that it was," replied Celia as she recalled the day Phillip had died.

"We know that Ms Laurence. The reason why I'm here today is to let you know that the Shepherds have sent someone to New York to collect on your husband's debt..From what we've been told. They think you know."

"We think you might be in danger Cece, " Harvey said gently.

She shook her head as she backed out towards the door. "No ,' she whispered.

Harvey walked towards her and took her arm. "It'll be fine."

She looked at him while shaking her head. Harvey guided her back towards the other two men.

"Have you had any contact with anyone who was even the slight bit curious about Phillip? Any conversations that seemed odd to you?"

"No," replied Celia still not believing this was all happening.

Godlen picked up a file from the desk and opened it as he handed it to her. "These are surveillance photos of our suspects. Do you recognize any of them?

She leafed through the photos not recognizing any one in them. "No. "

"What about this man?" Godlen handed her another photo.

Her heart stopped and her mouth went dry when she saw herself looking at Joe's mugshot. "Oh my God."

"I take it you know him," replied the FBI agent.

"Joe Hawkins. We met in a bar. We've had dinner in a few times."

"His real name is Joesph Mattelino. He's a big player with the Shepherds. Done time for assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, drug dealing ..."

"The important thing is we know he is here Cece," Harvey said to her. "We can get a restraining order if we..."

"Actually we need to draw him out," Godlen interrupted Harvey.

"And how do you propose we do that?"

" We need you to go out on that date, draw him into a conversation about Phillip, " Godlen said turning to Celia.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" Harvey couldn't believe what he was hearing. "He's dangerous!"

"And we'll have her wired up and we'll have half dozen agents watching, " replied Godlen.

"No way! I'm not putting her at risk like that!" exclaimed Harvey.

"Harvey. I 'm gonna do it," replied Celia.

"Are you crazy?"

"No I'm not Harvey but if this is what needs to be done," she replied.

"Ok. Then I'll be coming along too," Harvey said.

"There's no way..." Celia started to say before being interrupted by the FBI agent. "You can sit in the surveillance van. We have only one chance to do this and we can't blow it."

\\-oOo-/

"You're very quiet this evening," Joe said to Celia as they sat opposite each other in the restaurant.

She fiddled with the diamond brooch that was pinned to her grey silk top. It had a tiny microphone which Godlen had given her. She smiled uneasily as she cleared her throat. "I'm...I'm not feeling very well."

Joe looked at her closely "Why didn't you say something earlier? We could have cancelled! "

A breath escaped from her throat as she figured out what to say next. "I wanted to see you but I haven't been able to shift this headache all day. Think I'm getting a flu or something. I always seem to get one when the weather changes."

"Why don't I take you home and you can get some rest, " he said getting to his feet.

The waiter noticed him standing up and came straight over. "Are you ready to order?"

"The lady isn't feeling very well so we're going to go home, " Joe said to him as he took Celia by the arm.

"We don't have to go," she replied giving the waiter a smile.

"We can do this another time," he smiled as he helped her on with her coat. He apologized to the waiter as they left. It was only a 5 minute walk from the restaurant to the brownstone building where Celia lived in Chelsea. He put his arm around her as they walked. Chills went through her body as she felt his touch. She shivered involuntarily as she wondered how she was going to get him to talk. She noticed a white van parked across the street from her apartment and knew that Harvey and the FBI agent were inside and counting on her to get the information.

"They're going inside boss, " the driver of the van said to Godlen who was seated on a chair in front of a computer monitor. Harvey sighed as he listened to the conversation between Celia and Joe.

"Thanks for walking me home. You didn't need to, " he heard her say.

"No problem. I hope you feel better," replied Joe.

"Would you like a coffee?"

" Sure, " Joe said following her in the door.

"And we have a visual," Godlen said as they appeared on the computer monitor. They had fitted cameras inside Celia's apartment while they had been out. Harvey slid over to the chair in front of the monitor and pulled the headphones onto his head.

"Nice place," he heard Joe say as he looked around her apartment.

"Thanks. I love it. I kept it when I commuted between San Francisco and here when my husband was alive."

"You don't really talk about your husband, "Joe said picking up a photo to look at it.

Celia 's heart beat rapidly in her chest as she walked over to him with a coffee. She really wasn't sure she was up to this but it needed to be done. "" We were estranged. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for embezzlement and fraud before he died. "

"Oh wow. I'm sorry to hear that, " replied Joe as he glanced at her. "No wonder you don't talk about him."

"It was like a gut punch to the stomach when I found out what he had done."

"You didn't know? "Joe moved closer to the window and peered out. He noticed the white van across the road. He wondered if it was a surveillance van. Since he had got into the city a few weeks ago he had gotten the feeling that the FBI were onto him. Or maybe it was just paranoia. Something that he had developed after he done time in San Quentin. He glanced back at Celia who he thought looked extremely nervous. She was fidgeting with her hands as she stood in the middle of the room.

"No I didn't know," she finally said lifting a glass of water to her mouth and taking a sip from it. He noticed her hand shaking as she put it down.

"How is the headache now?" he asked taking one last look out the window and moved closer to her.

"Still there," she replied indicating her head with her forefinger.

"You know I give good head massages?" He said with a grin.

"You do? " Celia's eyebrows shot up in surprise not expecting him to come out with that.

"Magic hands, "he said holding out the palms of his hands in front of her. "Here sit down here and I'll show you." He pushed her down on the couch before she could say anything and went to the back of the couch. Celia tried to control her breathing as her heart pounded in her ears.

"You need to get her out of there," Harvey said as he watched the monitor.

"Not yet, " replied Godlen turning up the volume.

Joe placed his thumbs on both temples as he leaned over and lightly kissed the nape of her neck. "Just relax. You're full of knots." He gently massaged the top of her head moving them down to the back of her neck. "That feel ok?"

"Feels really good," she said quietly aware of the van parked outside. "So tell me something about yourself Joe!"

"Not much to tell. From the Midwest. "

"I thought you were from California," Celia said glancing at the clock on her wall. It seemed to be ticking loudly. It matched the rhythm of her pounding heart.

"Moved to California when I was very young. He pushed her hair to one side and lightly stroked her neck.

"My husband was from Northern California. He was a lawyer, " she replied.

"A lawyer? And he embezzled from his firm? What kind of moron was he? " he scoffed.

Celia was silent for a moment as she tried to gather her thoughts. "He got caught. So I guess he wasn't a very good embezzler."

"I'd say," chuckled Joe. He kissed the top of her head and moved his lips down her cheek as his hands continued to massage her neck. His hands went around her throat as he kissed her ear. "Where did he put the money?" He whispered.

"Did you hear that?" Harvey asked as Godlen signalled his men to move in.

"We have him. Move in!" he said into his walkie talkie as he jumped out of the van. Harvey followed but Godlen told him to stay back.

"What?" exclaimed Celia as she pushed Joe's hands away and jumped up just as a half a dozen agents burst through her door. One of the agents grabbed her elbow and pushed her watched through the door as they overpowered him and placed him in cuffs.

"You set me up!" He screamed at her as he was led away. She followed the agents and stood on the steps of the brownstone and watched as they put Joe into a cop car. With sirens blaring she turned around to see Harvey standing beside the van. He made his way across the road but she shook her head and walked back up the steps.

"Celia. Thank you for doing this, " Godlen said as he came out the door of the building. "You are obviously shaken up. I'd like the paramedics to take a look at you. " He indicated the ambulance which had just arrived.

"I'm fine," she replied as Harvey reached her side.

"Cece, maybe you should be seen by them," Harvey said touching her elbow.

"I said I am fine, " she snapped as she glared at him.

"We also need to make a statement. But you can do that tomorrow," Godlen said to her.

" Fine, "she replied going back up the steps.

"Your apartment has been sealed off. It's a crime scene. You won't have access to it for a couple of days. Is there anyone you can stay with?" Godlen said as she turned to look at him.

"I don't believe this!" she exclaimed .

"You can stay with me," Harvey offered .

"No. I'll get a hotel."

"Don't be so stubborn Cece. Look Ray is here. He can drive you back to my place. I have to go back to the office for a while," Harvey said indicating the black Lexus that had just pulled up.

She bit on her bottom lip and sighed. "Ok."

"One more thing Celia, " Godlen said to her. "Phillip and I became good friends. He really loved you. He wanted me to give you this." He took an envelope out of his breast pocket and handed it to her. She glanced inside it and pulled out a USB stick.

\\-o0o-/

She dropped her overnight bag on the floor beside one of the bar stools at the counter. Harvey had given her instructions in how to turn the fire on and to make herself at home. She fixed herself a glass of wine as she looked at the USB Godlen had given her. Did she really want to know what was on it. She didn't know. She ran her hand lightly over it and put it down on the counter. She opened the sliding door to the terrace and stepped outside. A light rain fell and she wrapped her cardigan around around her as she leaned against the rail. She always loved the view of the city from here. A light breeze blew through her and she shivered. She turned on the patio heater and sunk down onto the lounger.

Harvey arrived back about an hour later and noticed that she had fallen asleep outside. Not wanting to wake her up he picked up a throw and placed over her. The movement woke her up and she stared at him with confusion.

"Hey sleepy head," he grinned as she sat forward and rubbed her eyes.

" Hey, " she replied taking her glass of wine and walking back inside.

"Are you ok?" He asked fixing himself a scotch.

A breath escaped from her mouth and she smiled slightly. "No Harvey I'm not!"

He lowered his head and then looked back up at her. "I know you're angry..."

"Angry? Harvey I am more than angry. You never told me about this witness protection!" Her voice began to raise an octave. "You've barely spoken to me in 3 weeks for something silly that I did while all the time YOU knew about this!"

Harvey sighed as he placed his glass down on the counter. "Don't you think I would have told you if I could?"

"Since when have you ever followed the rules?"

" It would've put you in danger! "

"It put me in danger anyway Harvey!" she exclaimed.

"It wouldn't have changed things Celia. Joe was still coming to New York," Harvey said taking his glass up and taking a drink of the amber liquid.

"First you don't tell me about his embezzlement then you don't tell me about this. Makes me about wonder what else you are hiding from me about all of this, "she said turning to look at him.

He pushed his lips together and shook his head. "Nothing. Look Celia I know you are pissed about this but it's over."

"It will never be over Harvey," her voice cracked as her blue eyes glistened with tears.

"Are you going to look at what's on that USB?" he asked noticing it on the counter.

She shook her head. "No."

"Come here," he said pulling her into his arms. He rested his chin on the top of her head as he stroked her hair. They stood in their embrace for several minutes. He gently kissed her forehead. He stood back and searched her eyes before pulling her in closer. His lips brushing against hers before their kiss turned passionate, bruising. She could taste the scotch on his lips. She ran her fingers through his hair as he pulled her cardigan off. She pulled his tie loose as he took her hand and led her towards the bedroom.

To be continued


	7. One Month Later

One Month Later

She sat in the plush waiting room of the exclusive health clinic situated on the 30th floor below Specter Litt Wheeler Williams. She had eventually persuaded Louis to leave her at the elevator. She glanced around the waiting room. It didn't look like a doctor's office. The receptionist who was seated behind a glass partition answered each phone call with a cheery greeting. The room had comfy cream coloured chairs and the magazines and newspapers fanned out on the table in front of her were the sort of publishing material that wealthy people would read. Tatler. Forbes. The Wall Street Journal. Soothing music played through hidden speakers which get a bit irritating after a while. She wondered how the receptionist could stand listening to it all day. She picked up a copy of Horse and Home and idly flipped through it before sighing to herself and replacing it back on the table. A brochure that listed the services that the clinic provided also lay on the table. She picked it up before sitting back in the chair with the brochure on her lap.

/-o0o-\

3 weeks earlier

After passing through security and greeting her old friend manning the x ray machine Katrina hurried through the halls of the courthouse. She was hoping to catch the judge before the trial to ask him for a continuance in her case. The court building was busy with all sorts of people going about their business. She didn't notice any of them as she mentally prepared her argument for continuance.

"Katrina?"

She turned to see Brian standing by the elevator. She hadn't seen him since he had left the firm. She missed him but it was for the best. He had a family and she wasn't going to start breaking up a family and being labelled a home wrecker.

"Brian. What are doing here? "

"I got a case in front of Judge Hernandez," he replied giving her a shy smile.

She tilted her head up as she smiled back at him. "It's good to see you. I have a meeting with Judge Kearney."

He nodded his head as he gazed at the woman standing in front of him. "You look..."

"Thank you Brian but I must be on my way, " she said quickly not wanting to go down that road with him again. She turned on her heel and walked away. He watched her go but then he followed her breaking into a little jog to catch up with her.

"I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch sometime?" He asked stopping in front of her.

"I really don't think that's a good idea! "She said glancing around her.

"Why not?"

"You know why!" she said through gritted teeth.

"It's lunch!" exclaimed Brian.

"No!" she said firmly as she hurried away.

/-o0o-\

"Hey do you remember I told you about the business expansion?" Thomas asked Donna as they got ready for work.

"I sure do, " she smiled.

"Well it looks to be going ahead. And Alex and I discussed changing the business name. " Thomas looked really excited which made her smile even more.

"If anyone knows about changing a firm's name that would be us, "she said with a smirk.

"I guess you would know, " chuckled Thomas.

"What are you changing it too?"

"I was never happy with the name KSLR furniture Designs. It was fine for the Singapore market but as we're just reaching out to the US market I'm changing it to Thomas Kessler Designs. "

She turned to him and smoothed out his tie. "I love it!"

" Really? You don't think it's a bit...egotistical? "

"No it's perfect. It's simple and classic," she smiled.

He pulled her closer to him. "Glad you like it. We're having a name launch next week. I'd like you to be there."

"Of course I'll be there," she replied softly as they gazed into each other's eyes. She gently stroked his chin as he kissed her.

"So what do you say we go out to dinner this evening? Call it an early celebration?" He asked

She glanced at him as she put an earring in. "I'd like that. How about that new place, Tambourine? All the critics are gushing about it. "

"Tambourine it is then," he said pulling her in closer to him again. "We can't argue with the critics."

He kissed her lightly on the lips and then slapped her playfully on the ass. "As much as I would love to do this all day I have a meeting. I'll pick you up at 7."

" Ok, " Donna said as she picked up her bag. She smiled as she watched him leave. It was so easy with Thomas. There was no games or hidden meanings behind his words. He was straight forward and an open book.

/-o0o-\

Celia stared out the train window. The train cut through an early morning fog that had descended on the tracks. She had taken a week off from the office after what had happened with Joe and she just needed to have time to herself. She also hadn't spoken to Harvey since they slept together. It was a mistake she reasoned. It definitely should never have happened. She has left his bed early that morning and decided to go and see her mom in Rhode Island. She had told Louis that she would work from her mom's house and that she would keep in touch with her clients and would be available if they needed her. She turned her head away from the window as the speed of the train was making her feel nauseous and dizzy. A dull ache in the center of her forehead that she'd had since the day before didn't seem to going. She rubbed her head as she went through the paperwork that was on the table in front of her.

She stepped out of the elevator on the 50th floor after she had caught a cab from the train station.

"You're back!" She heard Donna exclaim when she passed her office. "Come in. Sit down!"

"I just needed to get away for a while, " she said to the red head sitting in front of her.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Joe," replied Donna. "Who'd have thought that such a hot guy would turn out to be..."

" Donna. Can we not talk about this ever again? "

The red head smiled at her friend. "Sure!"

"I just feel so... " she sighed trying to find the right words.

"I know Cece." Donna gave her a sympathetic smile. "Let's go for drinks tomorrow night."

"I would love to. I just hope I shake off this bug I have," replied Celia.

"Oh? Are you not feeling well?" Donna asked with concern.

"Just a fluey stomach virus thing I think," Celia said.

"Get yourself to the doctor then!"

"I will when I get the time. Richard Franklyn wants a meeting. I need to reschedule the mediation meeting with Esther. I have the associates survey to do and that douch bag Hanrahan was looking for a consult before he goes to court tomorrow. I swear to god I gave him all the info he needed before I went away...'

"Want me to kill him for you?" chuckled Donna.

"Please!" grinned Celia. "So what's been going on here?"

"Oh nothing much. Same shit. Different day, you know? " Donna said rolling her eyes.

"Nothing new then?" Celia smirked.

"Oh. I do know one thing though!" Donna said with a wink.

" Oh? What's that? "

"Stu likes you," grinned Donna.

"Stu? " Celia asked.

"He's a nice guy! And a good friend of mine. Hey, we could go on a double date! I'll call him now and set it up! " Donna reached for her cellphone eagerly.

"Donna! We're not in high school...besides...I think I will be swearing off men for a while," Celia said getting to her feet. "Did Harvey say anything about me going away?

" Nothing, " replied Donna. "Should he have?"

" No," she replied feeling relieved that Harvey hadn't said anything to her about them sleeping together. She looked at her watch. "Ugh. Looks like I'm working late this evening."

"Serves you right for taking a week off, " teased Donna. "So you don't want me to fix you and Stu up?

She laughed when she saw the glare Celia gave her as she left the office.

\\-o0o-/

"I see you are back," Samantha said when she and Celia bumped into each other later that day.

"I am. Did you miss me?" Celia asked with a smirk.

"To be honest I thought you were gone forever," replied Samantha.

"Ladies, partner meeting tomorrow at 9am," Gretchen said coming into the bathroom. They both groaned and Samantha winced when she picked up her bag.

"What happened to you?" Gretchen asked noticing that Samantha appeared to be in pain. Celia glanced at the other lawyer and saw that she was holding onto the counter as she fought back pain.

"Are you ok? "

"I just pulled a muscle in training," replied Samantha indicating the left side of her body.

"Are you sure you didn't break a rib? I remember breaking a couple when we played in the hockey interstate championship. I was in agony for weeks!" exclaimed Celia.

"No. I'd know if I broke a rib, " Samantha said pulling a bottle of painkillers out of her bag.

"Boxing and Hockey," tutted Gretchen with a shake of her head as she left the bathroom. "Not very ladylike activities."

Celia and Samantha watched her leave with a look of bemusement on their faces. "You need to go to the hospital,' Celia said turning to Samantha.

" I'll be fine, " replied Samantha. "I appreciate your concern though." She winced again when she threw the bottle of painkillers back into her bag and left the bathroom.

A sudden feeling of nausea gripped Celia and she quickly went into the toilet cubicle and threw up her lunch. She had been feeling exhausted for weeks now which she had put down to stress. She sat back on her heels in the cubicle and rested her head against the cool wall.

\\\\\/

Harvey picked up his cellphone as it vibrated on the desk beside him. He rolled his eyes when he saw that Abigail Walston calling. He put the phone back on the table and let it ring. He was in no mood for Abigail today. He did think about handing her over to another attorney in the firm but she was worth $15 million billables to the firm and he wasn't about to lose her business. He would call her back when he felt like it. He checked his email again for a contract from the Tranline Merger and saw that it had been signed by the CEO. He had been working on this for weeks and there had been some tense negotiations between Tranline and Colpe but he could put it to bed now that it had been done. He glanced down the corridor and saw Celia talking to one of the support staff. He had heard from Louis that she had taken some time off but didn't contact her while she was away. He figured that she needed some space.

He picked up his cellphone again and dialled his brother's number.

"Hey douchebag," Marcus said over the phone.

"Hey yourself. Just checking in to see how you are. I know the divorce papers were finalized today, " replied Harvey.

"I'm ok thanks brother. Feeling a bit empty to be honest," Marcus said as he sat at the bar in his restaurant in Boston. He stared into a glass of scotch.

"Why don't you come down here at the weekend. We can catch a Yankees game? " asked Harvey. "I got Season tickets."

Marcus considered his offer for a moment. "Ok. The break will be good. The kids are with Katie. I can get Joanne to run the restaurant. I'll get the train down. "

"That's great. Text me your arrival time and I'll meet you at the station, " Harvey replied.

"Hey you think we could take in a poker game too?" Marcus asked grinning to himself.

"Are you fucking crazy? " Harvey got to his feet and started to pace his office.

"Relax bro. I was kidding, " smirked Marcus imagining the look on his brother's face. "See you at the weekend."

"See you later douchebag," replied Harvey ending the call.

"We have a problem, "Alex said coming into Harvey's office.

"What is it?" Harvey poured himself and Alex a scotch.

"The Rathman deal just fell through, " replied Alex taking the glass from Harvey.

"Ah shit. How did that happen?"

"They said they were going elsewhere," Alex said sitting on the chair in front of Harvey's desk.

"We need to get them back to the table Alex, " Harvey said taking a drink from his glass. "Do we know where they want to go too?"

"They never said but the offer must have been good, " replied Alex.

"Ok," Harvey looked at his watch. "We need to find out what that offer was and we need to better it. Donna has contacts in the Rathman stable. In the meantime file a breach of contract complaint."

" Ok, " replied Alex getting to his feet. "Looks like I won't be getting home before midnight."

"I'm sure Rosalie will understand, " Harvey said.

"It's not Rosalie I'm worried about," replied Alex with a sigh. "Debbie has been been in trouble with school lately. I thought my troubles were done when we sorted Joy out. Now we have Debbie in strife. "

"That's teenagers for you," Harvey said with a sympathetic smile. "Look if you need to go home leave the paperwork to me. "

"No it's fine. She is staying with a friend tonight. I'll get that working on that complaint," Alex said getting to his feet. "Keep me up to speed on what Donna finds out."

"Will do," replied Harvey. He took another glance at his laptop before making his way to Donna's office down the hall.

Just as he entered the COO's office he bumped into Celia coming out of it.

"Hey," he said in surprise .

"Hi," she said in reply .

They stood in awkward silence for a moment. "She's not here," Celia finally said.

He nodded. "Oh."

"Must get back to work," she said moving passed him.

"I thought you had left again," Harvey said just as she reached the door.

She turned to face him. "I went to my mom's. I needed to get away for a while."

"You could have told me you were going, " replied Harvey.

She looked down at the floor. "I didn't know I was going till I got there. I sent an email. "

"You sent an email to all the partners Cece."

"Harvey..." Celia started to say.

"We spent the night together and you left without... "

"Left without what Harvey?"

"So are we just going to pretend it didn't happen? " asked Harvey.

"It shouldn't have happened Harvey. I was upset. I wasn't in a good place. I left because I wasn't sure how to process what happened," Celia said. "I still don't."

He moved closer to her. "It was pretty good!"

Two pink spots flared on her cheeks as she gave him a coy smile and nodded her head. "Always is. But it can't happen again."

They stood looking at each other for a moment. "Ok. Let's make a deal. It won't happen again," he grinned as he took a strand of her hair in his hand. "Unless you want it too."

" Harvey! " exclaimed Celia with a small laugh.

"So what do you say we go out for dinner this week. We can talk about this then."

She pushed her lips together to give him a half smile. "I'd like that. Just as friends though. It's not a date. "

"It's not a date," repeated Harvey with a smirk.

She laughed as she lightly hit his arm. "It's not a date! Now I need to get back to the grindstone. These contracts ain't going to sign themselves."

" Hey, do you know where Donna has gone. I need her input on a case , " Harvey said as she began to walk back to her office.

She stopped and turned around. "She's out with Thomas. Think they went to Tambourine."

" Oh, " replied Harvey feeling a bit disappointed that Donna was with Thomas. "I'll see her tomorrow then."

\\-o0o-/

"Everything looks so good," Donna said as she read the menu . "I don't know what to have."

Thomas gazed at the red head as she went through the menu again. "Why don't I order the drinks while you are deciding?"

"Good plan Mr Kessler. It's like you read my mind," Donna smiled at him.

"I do read minds you know, " he said giving her a wink.

"Oh really?" she grinned leaning forward. "That's quite a gift. As you know I happen to know things because I'm D..."

"You're Donna, " finished Thomas with a smirk.

"It's like you read my mind." She gave him a coy smile. "I'll have a Scotch. Neat."

"You know I never knew a woman who enjoyed Scotch as much as you do, " Thomas replied raising a hand to attract the waiter's attention.

"Oh. When you have known Harvey as long as I have you get to appreciate it, " Donna said without thinking.

Thomas glanced at her with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. This is was not the first time she had mentioned Harvey since they had been together. "So. How long have you known Harvey?"

"About 15 years. We worked in the DA's office before going to work at Pearson Hardman as it was known back then. I was his executive assistant \secretary before he promoted me to COO. "

"That's quite a jump to make, " replied Thomas.

"Harvey values loyalty and hard work," smiled Donna. "And I earned that promotion!"

" No doubt you did," replied Thomas.

She glanced at him and noticed a look of annoyance on his face. She looked back down at the menu. "I think I'll have the Seabass. "

"That's a good choice, " he replied. He looked up from the menu to get the waiter 's attention again and his eyes were drawn to the front door of the restaurant which had just opened.

She noticed that his face suddenly fell. "What is it?" she asked turning around to see what had gotten his attention. Her eyes widened when she saw Harvey coming towards them. "What the hell?"

"Harvey? What are you doing here?" she asked he came to a stop at their table. He briefly nodded at Thomas who had a look of thunder on his face. "Sorry to interrupt your dinner but we have a problem at the office and I need Donna on this."

" Oh, " she replied placing her napkin on her lap and started to rise from her seat.

"Whatever it is I am sure it can wait till the morning," replied Thomas glaring at Harvey and then Donna who was halfway between standing up and sitting down. "We're having dinner."

Donna took in a slight breath as she sat back down again. She gave Harvey an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Harvey but it will have to wait till tomorrow."

He looked at her as if she was mad and then glared at Thomas whose jaw had tensed. "Sorry to have ruined your evening." He stalked off with his mouth closed tight.

"Sorry about that," Donna said turning her attention back to the man sitting in front of her.

"You know Donna, You're not his beck and call girl. You don't have to jump every time he has a crisis. What was it you think? He couldn't find his fountain pen? "

Donna pursed her lips as she looked at him. "He wouldn't have interrupted us if it wasn't serious."

He sat back in the chair and placed his napkin on the table. "So why didn't you go?"

"Because, Thomas, " she leaned forward to take his hand. "I'm here with you! "

"Are you? What is it with you and him?"

Donna took a deep breath as she figured out what to say next. "What do you mean?"

"You both seem incapable of separating the professional and personal. What is it? " Thomas asked.

Donna sighed and gave him a small smile unsure how to answer that question.

To be continued

Author's Note

In a A Judge's Tale I gave Alex's wife another name as we did not know her name at that stage. As we now know it to be Rosalie I have given her that name.

Thanks for reading. Reviews always welcome.


	8. Chapter 8

.

\\-oOo-/

Donna sighed and gave him a small smile unsure how to answer that question.

"Thomas, Harvey is a friend. A good friend. He brought me over to Pearson Hardman from the DA's office. He values loyalty above anything else," she eventually said.

Thomas nodded his head and leaned forward. "Now let me ask you something else."

She felt herself almost holding her breath knowing what the next question was going to be.

"Did you ever sleep with him?"

She decided honesty was probably the best thing but she was afraid what he would say if he knew the truth. "No. I don't get involved with men I work with."

"You worked with me when I had that issue a couple of months ago," he replied looking directly into her eyes.

"That was different Thomas. And if you recall you worked with Katrina on that. Now can we just drop the subject. It's spoiling my dinner. And don't worry I will be speaking to Harvey tomorrow about this. "

Thomas was silent for a moment. "Consider it dropped."

" Good. So did you have any ideas for the name launch? " Donna asked desperately trying to get him to focus on something else.

"I was thinking of a press release," he replied .

"And?"

"And what else? "

"Thomas. You can't just issue a press release and that be it. You have to give it some pizzazz! A party," exclaimed Donna. "A costume party...with a theme...it will be close to Halloween so people can dress up and have fun! "

"What kind of of theme are you thinking of? " Thomas smiled amused at her excitement.

"Well, your new collection is 1920's inspired. What about The Great Gatsby? "

"Gangsters and Molls," mused Thomas.

"Yes! That's a terrific idea. The music would be 1920s. We could get people to dance the Charleston. 1920s inspired cocktails. Art Deco..."

" Donna. Why don't I leave this in your capable hands? " he grinned at her. "You have the contacts to make it happen."

"It will be the most talked about party this year," she said with a wide smile,

\\-o0o-/

Donna stepped out of the elevator the following morning. She was still furious with Harvey for turning up at the restaurant but was in no mood to discuss it with him first thing. She had a million and one things to do as well as attend the partner meeting that Louis had called.

"Donna," she heard Samantha calling from behind her.

The red head stopped as Samantha caught up to her. "How are the sore ribs?"

"I can breathe again so that's always a good sign! "

"Certainly is," smiled Donna.

"Do you know anything about Steinberg leaving us?"

" Steinberg? Didn't you only sign them last week? "

They both entered Donna's office as she picked up a file from her desk.

"Yes, " said Samantha. "They said they got a better offer with another law firm. "

"Did they say which one?"

Walking out the door they bumped into Harvey who seemed to be on the his way to her office. She gave him a look of irritation when she saw him.

"Donna, Rathman are leaving us. I need you to reach out with your contacts in the Rathman office and find out who signed them," he said noticing the look she had given him.

"Rathman are leaving us too?," Samantha said with a puzzled look on her face.

"What do you mean too? Who else is leaving?" Harvey asked.

"Steinberg. And I only signed them last week," replied Samantha.

"Bit of a coincidence isn't it?" Donna asked as all three headed for the conference room.

Louis was already seated at the table with his laptop in front of him with Alex and Katrina seated beside him. He looked up when he saw them come into the room. "What's this about Steinberg and Rathman?"

"There's something wrong here. Why would two newly signed clients decide to leave us on the same day, " asked Donna.

"It's Bennington too," Celia said coming into the room.

"You only signed them last week. What did you do to piss them off?" Samantha said dryly.

Celia rolled her eyes at the other woman. "These are all clients signed by us in the last month or so. I contacted a guy I know at the Law Registry who says that this new law firm, NYC Law Services was only formed 6 weeks ago but the name on the registration form was withheld. "

"Can they do that?" Alex asked.

"They can, " sighed Celia. "They can request their details remain private. A court order is the only way to unlock it. But I am also going to get my private investigator to dig into this company too."

"Cece. I want you to work on getting that court order. I want you and Alex to go to all our newly signed clients and see if they have been approached by anyone. That includes Boylston, " ordered Louis. "Donna, get that list for Alex and Celia.

"I have a meeting at Boylston after this, " replied Celia. "And I already filed a court order."

" Good. And I want both of you to pull out all the stops to stop this hemorrhaging of clients. I know it's only 3 so far but it could snowball. The rest of you...I'd like you to meet with your existing clients and get them to give a personal guarantee that they won't be leaving us. This is war people and I am your commander! "

They sniggered as Louis got to his feet and surveyed the room like a General surveying his troops and left the room.

"I'll have that list as soon as possible," Donna said to Alex and Celia. She glanced over at Harvey who seemed more interested in the file in front of him. "Oh by the way Thomas is hosting a costume party for the name launch of his company. You are all invited. Celia, you can invite you know who when you see him today. " She winked at her as she left the room. Harvey watched her as she left but remained in his seat.

"You know who?" Samantha asked curiously. "Have you a new man?"

Celia flushed slightly as she stood up. "No!"

"Excuse me. Is this conference room B?" a voice asked interrupting them. They all turned to see a messenger with an enormous bouquet of long stemmed red roses. "I have a delivery for Katrina Bennett."

"I'm Katrina Bennett," Katrina said her eyes widening when the messenger handed the bouquet over to her as the others went oooh.

"Someone's a lucky lady!" The messenger said as he left the room.

"Who are they from?" Celia asked.

Katrina searched for a card in the middle of the bouquet. "It doesn't say."

"Looks like you have a secret admirer," Samantha said as she left the room.

\\-oOo -/

"Cece," Donna called when she saw Celia walking by her office on the way to the elevator.

"What's up?" she asked going into the office.

"So you're meeting with Stu today?" grinned the redhead.

"Donna! I'm not interested in him, " Celia said with a tut rolling her eyes.

"Oh? Is that why you are wearing that new dress?"

Celia looked down at the grey sheath dress she was wearing. Buttons ran all the way up the front to the split in the dress just below her knees. She had left the top two buttons open which showed a hint of her cleavage. "This old thing? It's not new. I've had it a while."

"You bought it the day we went shopping for the Law Society ball that day. You said it was sexy the minute you saw it. "

"I did not say that! " exclaimed Celia.

"Yes you did. Stu is one of the good ones Cece," Donna said giving her a smile. "You'd be great together. You'd have fun. You need to have some fun!"

"I appreciate this Donna I do but ..."

"Just don't discount him Cece!" She reached into the drawer at her desk and pulled out a small round bottle of perfume. "Here. Just a spritz of this."

"It's a business meeting Donna not a pick up... "

"Ah ah. Just a little spritz. " Donna said spraying it into the air. "Now walk through it. " She pushed Celia through the spray.

"Ohh. That smells great! What is it? " Celia asked as the droplets of perfume landed on her.

"Chance by Chanel. One of the top perfumes this year. It has fruity, floral scents with white musk and jasmine undertones."

"It smells great, " Celia said sniffing the sleeve of her dress.

"And guaranteed to get his pheromones going!" Donna said with a wink. "Now go to your meeting! "

Celia shook her head with amusement as she walked towards the door.

"And don't forget to work that ass," Donna called after her.

"Like this?" she giggled imitating Donna's signature sashay.

"You got it girl!" laughed the redhead sitting down at her desk.

\\-oOo-/

Stu got out of his car when he got to the Boylston Technologies building. He immediately saw Celia on the plaza pacing back and forth speaking on her cellphone. He smoothed out his tie as he walked over to her.

"Agh thanks Pete," sighed Celia finishing her call. She sighed as she looked down at her cellphone and went through her contact list. "Goddammit."

"Hey," Stu said when he reached her.

She lifted her head at the sound of his voice. "Hi."

"You're looking a bit stressed out!"

"Ahh, the firm is in crisis mode and when I mean firm...I mean Louis. Apparently he sees himself as the commander and we are his minions," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"When is Louis not in crisis mode?" grinned Stu.

"True," she said with a small laugh. "Plus I need a private investigator and my own isn't available."

"I can give you the name of my guy, " he offered.

"Ohh that would be so great. Thanks Stu, " she said. He scrolled down his list of contacts and handed the phone to her so she could input the number.

"So I missed you at last week's meeting," he ventured as they both went inside the building.

"I went home for a few days, "she replied. "Needed a break."

"Where is home? " he asked while they waited for the elevator.

"Rhode Island."

"Why is Rhode Island even a state?" chuckled Stu as they got into the elevator.

"Size isn't everything, you know Stu," she smirked giving him a pointed glare. She came aware of his close proximity as the elevator seemed to move very slowly up to the top floor. It was like the air between them was electric. Feeling the vibration of his cellphone from his breast pocket he reached inside to retrieve it. She took the opportunity to glance at him surreptitiously as he replied to a text. His suit was expensive although he was wearing a gaudy pink tie. She bit the side of her lip noticing that the cut of his suit did not hide the fact that he kept in shape. He sensed her eyes on him and when he looked up she quickly averted her gaze.

"I saw you checking me out," he said with a grin.

" I was not! " she exclaimed embarrassed that he had seen her.

"Yes you were. You're blushing, " he teased which caused her face to flush even more.

"I wasn't. I was just wondering why you are wearing such a god awful tie! " she felt flustered and let out a sigh of relief when the elevator dinged and the door opened.

He glanced down at his tie following her out. "There's nothing wrong with my tie!"

"Pink is such a girlie colour don't you think?" She said with a smirk.

"You've been hanging around Harvey and Louis too long Cece. You need to spend more time with the gunslinger."

She responded with a sarcastic laugh as he followed her to Richard Franklyn 's office. He noticed the black high heel shoes she was wearing and his eyes took in her shapely and toned legs. Her grey dress clung to her like a glove. He cleared his throat as he tried to gather his thoughts which was difficult because her ass swayed sexily in front of him.

Richard Franklyn stood when they entered his office.

"Good to see you Celia," he said offering her a chair to sit on.

"Sorry I couldn't make last week's meeting Richard. I had a family emergency," she said taking a file out of her briefcase.

"Nothing serious I hope," he replied sitting opposite them.

"They had to take the roads in," Stu chuckled ignoring the look of annoyance from Celia.

"Louis would like you to call him as soon as possible," she said turning her attention back to him. "He's doing a client review. Wants to make sure you are happy with your representation."

"I'll give him a call," Richard said making a note in his diary. "Stu and I discussed a range of cost cutting measures last week. Here 's what we agreed on."

She opened the file and raised her head in surprise when she read through the document. "You can't close the Rochester plant!"

"Not close it Celia. Relocate to Jersey where production is cheaper and we don't have to transport the First Steps module upstate, " explained Stu.

"Relocating is the same as closing Stu. You will be putting 200 people out of work! "

"They will be given the opportunity to relocate as well," Richard said.

"Those people in Rochester have their lives there. They're rooted in the community. They're not going to want to upsticks and move to Jersey! " She exclaimed.

"Anyone who doesn't want to relocate will be given a generous severance package," Stu said to her .

"Really? And what do you tell George Harris, the production manager up there? He has 5 kids. 3 of which are going to college. He was a mortgage. He's worked at the plant for 25 years ever since he graduated engineering school. What are you going to say to him? Hey buddy. We're closing the plant. You can move to Jersey or your job is gone and we'll hire someone with less experience to run the plant for less than what we pay you! "

"He will be well compensated Celia. Look. I am going up there on Friday to talk to the Union. You are both welcome to join me. It will give you a sense of the plant in general Stu. Celia has already been there, " Richard said.

"I can go on Friday," replied Stu looking expectantly at Celia.

"Don't you have to run that by your superior or prison warden to get out for the day?" she said amused at her own joke.

Stu shuffled in his seat and flashed his smile at her. "I am the boss."

"Oh yeah. I heard you like to call yourself the gunslinger," she scoffed.

Richard Franklyn raised his eyebrows in surprise at the conversation between the two in front of him. If he didn't know any better he would have said they were flirting with each other.

"Kids. Can we get back to the matter at hand!"

Celia glanced at him to see the look of amusement on his face. She sat up straight and cleared her throat quietly as she pulled her cellphone out of her briefcase. "I guess I can move a few things around."

"Good," replied Richard. "I'll email you both the flight details."

"Looks like we're going to spend Friday together," Stu said when they both reached the elevator. "By the way that perfume was really distracting in there."

Celia didn't answer him while she checked her phone. "Dammit!" Another client had given the firm notice for their intention to leave. Aster Solutions. She decided to go meet with them. They were only a block away from Boyston.

"Oh when you call the PI. Tell him Stu Buzzini sent you," Stu said pressing the button on the elevator.

"Do you get a set of steak knives with every referral?" She asked with the phone up to her ear. She turned and walked towards an exit door. Stu watched her talking on the phone. The elevator dinged and he stood for a moment unsure whether to let her know that the elevator had arrived but she seemed engrossed in the phone call. He let out a sigh and stepped in pressing the button for the ground floor.

/-oOo-\

"What are NYC Law Services offering you that Specter Litt Wheeler Williams can't?" Alex asked as he sat in front of John Rathman, CEO of Rathman Enterprises.

" Alex. I know we had a good deal but this was a better one, " he said.

"You know that with Specter Litt Wheeler Williams you will have access to the top lawyers and associates at one of the most prestigious firms in the city. You also have access to our PR and Marketing people who will create the best marketing strategy for your is a cap on billing so you don't pay over the odds...You know all this because we discussed it last week," replied Alex.

"I know Alex but..." Rathman started to say.

"We are the best for your company and you know that. NYC Law Services don't have the reputation and prestige that SLWW have, "Alex felt that he was talking to a brick wall at this stage.

Rathman sat back in his chair and regarded the lawyer sitting in front of him. "Ok. Say we do stay. Can you guarantee that you won't sign Pressman Jenkins. I heard one of your lawyers was looking to sign them."

"Pressman Jenkins? There isn't a conflict of interest there? " Alex said remembering that Samantha had met with them recently.

"No but Will Pressman is an asshole and I would rather not be represented by a firm that represents them," Rathman said with a chuckle.

"John. Just because you don't like Will Pressman isn't going to stop us from taking them on," Alex said. He saw the look of irritation in the other man's face. "I have no say in who another lawyer takes as a client but I guarantee you. I will represent you to the best of my ability. And I am one of the best there is. There is no one better than me!"

Rathman was silent for a moment as he considered his answer. "Ok. We will only if you and only you represent us."

"You have my word on that," smiled Alex passing the file over to the other man. "Updated contract for you."

\\-oOo -/

"Mr Aster. Celia Laurence, Senior Partner at Specter Litt Wheeler Williams," Celia introduced herself to Max Aster, the head of Aster Solutions.

"That was quick Ms Laurence. I only gave notice to your firm 45 minutes ago," replied Aster.

"I was in the area so took the bull by the horns so to speak," Celia said with a smile. "You signed with us last week. I was wondering why you are breaking your contract with us."

"We changed our minds Ms Laurence. We're allowed to do that! "

Celia pulled a file from her briefcase. "This is your contract. It states in the terms and conditions that you are required to stay with us for a period of one year before it 's reviewed. You are in fact breaking a legally binding agreement. We can sue you for breach of contract."

"That wasn't in the contract," Aster said putting his glasses on and opened the file.

"It was in the terms and conditions on page 45. Didn't you read that? " she asked hoping that he didn't realize that she was bluffing.

"I guess we must have missed that," Aster said with a tone of resignation in his voice.

"It will look bad for your firm if we sue you. Now.. I can update the existing contract to include a free monthly consultation with...what was it...Lady Labya." Celia inwardly cringed at having to say the name. "Isn't she your dominatrix? Does your wife know about her?"

"How do you know about Heather?" Aster asked looking like he was about to choke on his water.

"It's my business to know about these things Max. What if that information was to get out in the public arena? It would ruin your business and your marriage." Celia leaned forward in her chair . "As your lawyers we can make sure that it will never be made public. "

"And you think blackmail is the way to keep our business?"

" Mr Aster. This isn't blackmail, " she said with a small laugh. "It's good business sense...on both sides."

"Ok. We will stay," Aster said to her.

" Good. Thank you for your time. I will see myself out, " replied Celia getting to her feet. "I will have the amended contract sent to you by the end of business today."

\\-oOo -/

"Celia and Alex got Rathman and Aster to stay, " Louis said as he walked into Harvey's office later that evening.

Harvey looked up from his laptop. "Aster? Isn't he some sort of pervert?"

"He's not a pervert Harvey. He's doing what comes naturally to him," Louis said defensively. "What people do in the comfort of their own homes is their business."

"Whatever, " replied Harvey hoping this wasn't going to be one of those weird conversations that he and Louis have occasionally. He was still traumatized after having the conversation about Louis getting his sperm tested. He couldn't look at tomatoes the same way since.

"So I was wondering..." Louis started to say but Harvey got to his feet. "No Louis. We are not going to discuss it!"

"Discuss what? I was going to ask if you were going to the name launch and what are you going to wear? " Louis said with a puzzled look.

"What are we? Women?" Harvey asked with slight amusement.

"I was just wondering. Sheila loves dressing up but she might not want to go. She would look great as a pregnant moll. "

"Louis!" Harvey exclaimed. "I don't want to hear it! And to answer your original question. I don't know."

"Why don't you know? Is it because Donna is with Thomas? And it would be too weird for you? "

"I don't want to discuss it Louis," Harvey said pouring himself a scotch.

"Ok! But I know a great costume place you can rent from if you do decide to go, " Louis said as he left the office.

Harvey took a sip from his glass as he stared out at the twinkling Manhattan skyline. He absent mindedly tapped on one of the basketballs on the window sill before putting the glass down and striding out of his office. He got as far as the door when he saw Donna coming in his direction. She had that look of determination on her face that he knew he was in trouble with her.

"Donna, before you say anything I can explain," he said when she reached her old desk.

"Please do! " she exclaimed walking past him and into his office. He followed her in leaving the door open. She gave him a look of annoyance and pushed the door closed.

"We were losing a client and I needed you to get that information," he started to explain.

"And you couldn't call me and ask me? There was no need for you to come to the restaurant Harvey!"

He stood behind his desk as he looked at the redhead. " You wouldn't have answered the phone. Remember our agreement? "

She rolled her eyes at him as she moved closer to him. "If you needed to speak to me you should have called me! You embarrassed me and you embarrassed yourself."

" Donna...I'm sorry ok. I hope it didn't make things too awkward between you and Thomas. "

She sighed and walked over to the drinks turned around with an empty glass in her hand. "It did actually Harvey. I had to lie to him and tell him that nothing ever happened between us."

He furrowed his brow with confusion. "You didn't have to lie. You could have told him the truth."

"Yes I did Harvey! Because I couldn't risk..." She turned to look out the window.

"Couldn't risk what Donna?" Harvey asked going over to her side.

She looked down at her hands which she was squeezing tightly together. "Last year.. When I kissed you when you were with Paula she made you choose between her and me after you told her about us 13 years ago."

"And I broke up with Paula to keep you," Harvey said with a sigh.

"Yes. I really care about Thomas and I really care about you. And I couldn't risk Thomas making the same kind of demand," Donna said turning to face him.

"But you don't know that he would Donna. My situation with Paula was a lot different," Harvey reasoned.

"It's not so different with Thomas. He values loyalty and honesty. I hate myself that I had to lie to him."

" I'm sorry Donna. I really am. And if he makes you happy then that makes me happy, "Harvey said.

"He does," she smiled at him. "I have to get back to all this paperwork."

He nodded his head as she walked towards the door. "Donna."

She stopped and turned to look at him. "I know."

He sat down in his chair and watched as she walked down the hallway till she was out of sight before turning his chair around to look out at the Manhattan skyline.

\\-oOo -/

"So we have Rathman and Aster in the bag. Steinburg made an agreement with Samantha. And we're both meeting Bennington tomorrow," Alex said to Celia in her office.

"Yes. I think we're going to have to good cop bad cop on this one because when I spoke to them this afternoon they weren't backing down," replied Celia with a sigh. Her head was killing her and the lights in the office seemed really bright. She closed her eyes to fight the growing feeling of nausea in the pit of her stomach.

"So you wanna be good cop?" Alex asked. She opened her eyes and black spots blurred her vision. The room was spinning. His voice seemed far away and muffled to her.

"Yeah," she replied. Her mouth felt like sandpaper and she tried to swallow.

"After we meet with Bennington we 're meeting..."

"I'm sorry Alex but I don't feel very well," she said in a hoarse voice. She started to stand up but swayed on her feet.

"Celia!" exclaimed Alex as he moved quickly to her side catching her as she passed out.

To be continued


	9. Chapter 9

Author Note

Thank you for reading. I hope you are enjoying. Reviews always welcome

Rated M just to be safe.

\\-oOo -/

Katrina couldn't stop looking at the huge bouquet of roses she had placed on her desk. She inhaled the beautiful aroma as she fingered the soft velvety petals. She wondered if Brian had sent them but she figured he wouldn't have the guts for a grand gesture like this. She snipped the stem of each rose and placed them into a vase she borrowed from Donna. Katrina moved the flowers from her desk to the small round table in the corner of her office. She opened her laptop but the sight of the flowers kept distracting her. Picking up the business card that came with them she dialled the number.

"Hi my name is Katrina Bennett. I just had a dozen red roses sent to me and I was wondering could you give me the name of the person who sent them."

" I'm sorry Miss Bennett but we can't reveal our customer identities, " the voice said on the other end.

"They're goddamn flowers, not weapons grade uranium!" exclaimed Katrina.

"I'm sorry but as I said..."

"Yes I know. You can't reveal your customers identifies, " Katrina said hanging up the phone.

She glanced over at the flowers again. A feeling of rage built up inside her at the thought that Brian would do something like this. He had no right to send her flowers. He was married. He had a family. She was not the one to intrude on people's lives. She got up from her seat and walked back over to the flowers. It really stung that he still had everything and she didn't. She picked up the vase and dumped the flowers in the trash can.

\\-oOo -/

"Alex, I'm fine," Celia said as he fussed around her. She sat back in her seat as he poured her a glass of water.

"You fainted," he replied kneeling in front of her. He placed a hand across her forehead and was satisfied that she wasn't running a fever. "Maybe you need to see a doctor."

"I missed lunch. We had all those meetings today and I didn't get a chance to stop for a bite to eat," she said with a sigh. The queeziness in her stomach had lessened but she still felt a little weak.

"Ok. You are going to go home and get some rest," he said. "We can go through all this first thing in the morning. " Alex stood up and picked up the file.

"We can do this now. "

"We can pick it up in the morning, " he said in a stern tone.

"Ok ok. First thing then," she smiled.

"Now go home," he said walking towards the door.

"I will...and Alex..." He stopped to look at her. "Thank you. Also I would appreciate it if you didn't mention this to any one."

He nodded and she watched as he left her office. She let out a long shaky sigh and got to her feet. Her legs felt like jelly still as she slowly picked up her bag and placed some files into it.

\\-oOo -/

Celia dragged herself out of bed the following morning. Sleep had been elusive and she spent half the night tossing and turning and the rest of the night working on some briefs. She was exhausted when she arrived at the firm earlier than normal. She had gone for a run which usually energized her but she felt like she could sleep for a year.

"You look tired, " Donna said when she met her in the associate kitchen in between meetings with Alex and clients.

"I didn't sleep very well," she replied stifling a yawn. She took a sip of coffee from her cup and grimaced at the taste of it. "I've got so much to get done before Friday."

"What's happening on Friday?"

"Richard Franklyn has organized a union meeting between management and the workers in relation to the relocation of the manufacturing sector of the company," she said.

"Ooh and is Stu going to be there? " Donna asked with a grin. "Did he say anything about how great you smelled yesterday?"

Celia rolled her eyes as she poured the coffee down the sink. "He is going yes and yes he did mention the perfume. "

"The beginning of a beautiful friendship," winked the red head.

" Donna... "

"That reminds me I must text him to invite him to the name launch next week. Do you want me to suggest asking you to accompany him? "

"No I do not!" exclaimed Celia. "I have to get back to work. Can't be standing around here gossiping all morning!"

Donna smiled as the other woman flounced out of the kitchen.

\\-oOo -/

The rest of the week flew by for everyone at the firm. Between meetings, depositions, new signings and mergers as well as Harvey having a stand up row with another lawyer in the middle of the conference room everyone was looking forward to the weekend. Celia and Alex had met with all the recently signed clients who all agreed to stay with the firm. Some needed more persuading than others but none of them left. Louis was delighted as business was booming. He even looked like he was about to dance a little jig at the partner meeting. Harvey was looking forward to spending the weekend with Marcus. Katrina received another huge bouquet of red roses which she promptly dumped in the trash in front of everyone. Donna was busy organizing the name launch party. She consulted Samantha and Celia on some of the details. Samantha had commented she had never seen someone look in so much of their element as Donna did.

By Thursday Celia found herself looking forward to seeing Stu the next day. It was a brief thought which she banished from her head. She was starting to feel more like herself too although her tummy bug seemed to have caused an aversion to caffeine so she avoided it. She accessed her email and noticed there was one from him.

"_See you tomorrow ." _

Those 3 little words made her smile as she prepared to go home for the evening. They weren't due to fly to Rochester until mid morning but she had a lot to organise for the meetings the next day.

\\-oOo -/

_Candles lit up the room when she entered the room. He grabbed her arms pinning her against the door. Lips, tongues, hands everywhere. She pulled off his crisp white shirt while he unzipped the front of her silk dress to reveal her suspenders and stockings. Both shirt and dress landed on the floor. He left a trail of tiny kisses and licks from her chest all the way down to the edge of her panties and back up her stomach while her hands got entangled in his dark hair. His mouth found hers as she pushed her body into him feeling the hardness of his erection. His hand caressed her ass as she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her to the bed and pushed her down on it. She rolled over on top of him and straddled him while he sat on the edge of the bed. He released her breasts from her lacy bra and took one of her hardening nipples in his mouth while pinching the other one between his thumb and finger. His other hand squeezed her ass before running it down the back of her thigh and then back up where he grazed her center. She gasped as his fingers slipped inside her and she spilled herself onto him with a throaty moan. She reached down to unbuckle his belt and slid his pants down. His hard length strained against his boxer shorts. He grinned at her as she pulled them off and lowered herself onto him..._

Celia sat straight up in bed with a start. Her breathing was ragged and her heart pounded in her chest as her eyes darted around her bedroom in confusion. She had never had a dream like that before at least none that she could remember. Not even when she was with Harvey and certainly not about someone she barely knew. She lay back in her bed with her thoughts still racing as she moved her hand to the gap between her legs and found that her panties were damp. She had been feeling so horny lately since she started to feel better. That definitely was the only explanation for the dream. Not because she was attracted to Stu. Her fingers circled her clit lightly before she increased the speed and pressure and soon waves of pleasure radiated up through her body.

\\-oOo -/

"Miss Laurence," Stu greeted Celia when she arrived at the airfield for their trip to Rochester.

"Mr Gunslinger," she replied feeling a bit flustered. The dream she had about him still playing on her mind.

"You look different," he said noticing that she was wearing an olive green blazer with black top underneath with a pair of black jeans and high heels. A multi coloured green scarf hung loosely around her neck. Her blonde curly hair was tied back in a loose pony tail.

"I see you left the tie at home," she replied seeing that he had opted for an open collar white shirt and grey pants. Her eyes followed him as he picked up his duffle bag and slung it across his shoulder. His white shirt didn't hide his well defined physique. She felt a flush creeping across her cheeks so she busied herself with her carry on wheelie bag.

"Traveling a little light just for one day aren't we?" He said offering to take her bag from her.

"200 copies of the 10 part questionnaire, 20 copies for the focus group, 5 copies of the head of department survey, 6 copies of the manufacturing process plus a change of clothes in case of emergency, " she explained. "Girl guide motto, Always be prepared."

" I thought that was the boy scout motto? " he grinned.

"Were you ever a boy scout?"

"Nah, I was too cool to be a boy scout!"

" Folks, there is snow weather advisory in place for Rochester this evening. Lake effect snow is forming over Lake Ontario. It may or may not hit Rochester, " the pilot said as he checked over the outside of the plane.

"What does that mean?" Celia asked.

"Lake effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water," Stu said.

Celia looked at him with amusement. "Know it all!" She turned her attention to the pilot. "It's a bit early for snow isn't it. It's not even Halloween yet."

"No ma'am. The conditions are right for this kind of event ," replied the pilot.

"What happens if it hits Rochester?" she asked.

"We hope to be in the air by that time ma'am, " the pilot said as he climbed the steps to the interior of the plane. "Mr Franklyn is on his way."

"So are you worried we're gonna get stranded? " Stu asked.

"God, I hope not," replied Celia as she began to board the plane. Stu followed her up the steps and placed their bags in the storage compartment behind their seats.

"So I got a text from Donna inviting me to the name launch next week," he said settling himself in to the seat beside her.

"Oh. Are you going?" asked Celia buckling her seat belt.

"It might be a bit of fun," he said. "If you are going maybe we could go together?"

Celia glanced at him. "I'm not sure if I can make it. I'm in court on Friday."

Stu pushed his lips together and nodded slowly. He reached down to lift his laptop from his briefcase. "The offer is there if you change your mind. So how's the Private Investigator working out?"

"Pretty good," she replied. " Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of things soon. " She pulled out her own laptop as Richard Franklyn appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning kids," he said taking a seat on the opposite side of the plane.

"Morning," Celia said in a sing song voice.

"Richard. I was going through the numbers last night and I really do think relocation is the best option right now," Stu said ignoring the look of annoyance he got from Celia.

"We can discuss it further after we talk to the Union," replied Richard. He glanced at the pilot who had entered the cabin. "I hear a snow advisory is in place?"

"Yes sir, and there is some turbulence reported halfway there so we may be in for a bumpy flight," replied the pilot.

"Not too bumpy I hope? " Stu asked with a look of concern on his face.

"Scared of a little bumpiness are we?" teased Celia.

"Not scared...just..." Stu said . "Have you ever flown through the worst thunderstorm ever and thought you were going to die?"

"Yes. On a flight to San Francisco one time. The plane dropped so low that the oxygen masks dropped. That was scary. My legs were like jelly afterwards. Phillip practically had to carry me to..." She stopped herself when she realized that she said his name. She brought her hand up to her mouth and turned to look out the window.

"Phillip?" Stu asked wondering who that was.

"So the investigator is great, " Celia said changing the subject.

"So you said," Stu said glancing at her but she seemed more interested in what was going on outside the plane as it taxied the runway.

\\-oOo -/

Marcus Specter stood in the elevator watching the numbers go up to the 50th floor of Specter Litt Wheeler Williams or whatever name they called themselves these days. This was his first time visiting the firm. Harvey had never invited him there before but since he and Lily reconciled he has become more mellow and inclined to want to spend more time with his family in Boston. The elevator dinged and he stepped out. He noticed the big white sign on the wall and felt a sense of pride when he saw the name Specter first.

"Excuse me. I'm looking for Harvey Specter 's office," he said to the receptionist.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked looking at the man in front of him.

"He's expecting me. He's my brother, " Marcus said giving her a smile.

"I'm sorry. I can't let you in without an appointment. He has a slot free next Wednesday," the receptionist said trying not to laugh. Harvey had instructed her not to let him in.

"Next Wednesday?" Marcus said with a look of confusion .

"Yeah my day to meet douchebags is Wednesday," Harvey said coming up behind him.

Marcus rolled his eyes as he turned to face his brother. "Douche."

"You're early. I wasn't expecting to see you for another couple of hours, " Harvey said as they walked towards his office.

"I got an earlier train," Marcus replied. His eyes grew big like saucers when they both went into Harvey's corner office. "Woah! I never knew it was so big! Look at that view!" He went over to the window and stared out. "This is amazing! " He glanced down at the basketballs that lined the window sill. He crouched down to examine them. "Kobe? You got Kobe's autograph!"

Harvey stood in the center of the room watching his brother with amusement. "Just don't touch my balls!"

"Don't worry. I've no intention," Marcus said with a smirk. He turned to look at him but noticed the photo of Harvey watching his mom paint the duck painting that he had placed on the shelf over his vinyl records.

"I remember Mom painting that too," he said gazing at the photo. "Whatever happened to the painting? "

"I had it for years, " replied Harvey. "Now I don't."

"She would love this office! " exclaimed Marcus.

"I'm gonna invite her up some weekend."

"She would love that Harvey ."

"So this is Harvey Specter's brother," Donna said coming into the office.

Marcus turned to see the beautiful redhead that he had spoken on the phone to so many times. "Donna? You are more beautiful than I imagined!"

She gave him a smile as they hugged. "And you are more handsome than Harvey."

"I _was_ always the handsome brother, " smirked Marcus.

"I am here you know," Harvey interrupted them.

"I just wanted to drop bye and say hi," Donna said. "It's a pleasure to meet you after all this time."

"The pleasure 's all mine," winked Marcus.

"Enjoy the game tomorrow, " smiled the red head leaving the room.

The two watched her walk down the hallway back to her office. "So that's Donna!"

"It is," replied Harvey.

"And?" Marcus asked turning his attention back to his brother.

Harvey rolled his eyes. "She's with someone."

"So?"

"So nothing little brother. I'll be finished up here in about an hour. Do you want to hang out here? Not that there is much to do."

"I promised Zack I would get him x box games and Hayley wants a SIMS pack, " replied Marcus. "I asked them what they wanted that was unique to New York and all they wanted were computer games."

"That's kids for you, " Harvey said with a smile. "Are they doing better since the divorce?"

" Zack found it difficult at first but we have him in a routine now and Hayley takes things in her stride, " Marcus said. "She reminds me of dad in a way."

"They have a great father, " Harvey said patting his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah well I hope I haven't screwed them up too much," Marcus replied lowering his head.

"You haven't," replied Harvey.

Marcus sniffed and cleared his throat. Harvey was sure that he was about to cry. "If you are looking for computer games for the kids I have a client who manufactures the latest ones. They 're not going to be launched till next year but he owes me a favour. I'll give him a call. "

"That would be great thanks Harvey. I always knew having you as a brother would be good for something one day," grinned Marcus.

Ten minutes later Harvey had secured the latest computer games for Marcus. The client was based in Times Square so Marcus decided to take a walk down there to pick them up. He waited by the elevator and watched the comings and goings of the firm. A blonde woman came around the corner with her cellphone in her hand and bumped into him.

"Oh excuse me. I'm sorry," Katrina said when she looked up at him. "Sometimes the cellphone coverage isn't so great in here." She was sure she knew him from somewhere but couldn't quite place it.

"That's quite all right, " Marcus smiled.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Katrina asked .

"I'm Harvey's brother, Marcus," he said holding out his hand.

"Katrina Bennett," she replied taking his hand and noticing how strong and firm his handshake was. She hated limp and weak handshakes. _Of course that really was the thing to fixate on she thought to herself._

"Harvey doesn't mention people he works with. I mean he does but..," Marcus said with his voice trailing off. He cringed to himself. He was definitely out of practice when it came to chatting up women. He had always been faithful to Katie despite him telling Harvey otherwise. It was easier to tell him that he had cheated than to tell him that he had been gambling again. And that nearly cost him custody of the kids.

"Harvey has his head up his ass most of the time," Katrina replied . "I really must get back to work. Nice to meet you. "

"Nice to meet you too," he said watching as she walked back in the same direction she had come from.

\\-oOo -/

The flight assistant came into the cabin a few minutes after take off.

"Beverage or something to eat? " she asked the three occupants.

"Coffee and if you have any of those delicious bagels?" Richard said looking up from the newspaper.

"Certainly sir. And for you both?" She asked Celia and Stu.

"Have you any green tea? I seem to have gone off coffee lately. And if you have any croissants that would be great. Or bagels, " Celia asked feeling rather hungry. "Or maybe both."

" I'll check the galley. And for you sir? "

"Just a black coffee thanks, " replied Stu. He looked at Celia with amusement . "Feeling peckish are we?"

"Like you wouldn't believe!" she exclaimed. "Did you know that if you ate enough poppy seed bagels or indeed anything with poppy seeds in it you would test positive for opiates and fail a drug test? "

"I did _not_ know that but it's definitely something to keep in mind," he replied shooting her a bemused look.

"I know this because when I was a judge I had a case involving poppy seed bagels."

"You were a judge?" Stu asked in amazement.

"Up until a few months ago," she replied rummaging in her briefcase. She pulled out a couple of breakfast bars and offered one to him.

"And now you're a corporate lawyer, " Stu said declining the breakfast bar.

"Yeah the money is better," she said with a smirk. "I was a corporate lawyer before I was a judge. Did you always want to be a stockbroker?"

"I was a lawyer before I came a stockbroker, " he answered. "Worked for a couple of law firms before I found out that the real money was on the stock market. Never looked back."

"Where did you go to Law School? "

"Yale. And I am guessing you went to Harvard?"

"I did!"

"Could you not get into Yale?" smirked Stu.

"It wasn't even my first choice! " she replied with a small laugh.

He glanced at her in amusement. She sensed his gaze and found herself looking into his dark blue eyes. His eyes scanned her face and he gave her a small smile. Remembering that Richard Franklyn was seated on the other side of the plane she dipped her head with a light breath and turned to look out the window with a smile playing on her lips as images from her dream came flooding back to her.

"We have 3 types of bagels. Asiago Cheese, Cinnamon Raisin and Poppyseed," the flight assistant said when she came back from the galley.

"Poppy seed, " they said at the same time as they tried to keep a straight face.

" Living the wild life are we? " Stu asked after the flight attendant handed them the bagels. She gave Richard an Asiago cheese one.

"If you can't live on the edge now and again then what's the point? " she grinned.

"My thoughts exactly," replied Stu. " Cheers." He raised his bagel towards her and she tapped hers against his

\\-oOo -/

"Celia, do you have the focus group questionnaire?" Richard asked taking his headphones from his ears. "I was just thinking about question 5 and if it needs to be rephrased."

"I do. I had reservations about that one too. Do you think we should leave it out?" she asked. She unbuckled her seat belt and moved around to the compartment behind them and pulled out her wheelie bag.

"I'm not sure the focus group is necessary. We already have the questionnaire which duplicates the focus group questions, " Stu said.

"They're more focused on the people we are meeting. The other questionnaire is for the whole staff team. I'm running the group. I'd like to have a more detailed opinion on people's views and this is the way to do it," replied Celia handing Richard the questionnaire.

"I disagree," Stu said aware of the look that he got from her as she sat back down beside him. "It will take up too much time."

"If you have any other ideas then I would be happy to hear them, " Richard said.

"I think the only idea he has is if we close the plant and move it to Jersey, " replied Celia rolling her eyes.

"I'm a major shareholder. I have a say in what happens to the plant," Stu said feeling a little pissed off.

"You do Stu and we will look at all options that are available," replied Richard. He looked over at the two on the other side of the plane and noticed that the atmosphere between them had changed. Celia sat with her arms folded looking out the window while Stu was tapping his fingers on the armrest with a look of annoyance on his face.

Suddenly the plane jolted from side to side and the overhead lights flickered.

"Looks like we are entering an area of turbulence, folks, " the pilot's voice came over the intercom. "Please stow away your belongings and fasten your seat belts."

All three clicked their seat belts into place while Celia pushed her wheelie bag under the table. She let out a deep breath as she gripped the arm rest. The plane continued to be buffered by the strong head winds. The sound of plates crashing to the floor startled her as her breathing got faster. Stu felt like his heart was in his throat as the plane shuddered again. He saw the look of fear on Celia's face and he placed his hand on hers. She relaxed her hand as their fingers entwined.

Then just as sudden as the turbulence started it stopped.

"Looks like we are through the worst," the pilot said over the intercom. "We'll be landing in Rochester in ten minutes."

"Everyone ok?" Richard asked.

"Yes," replied Stu breathing a sigh of relief. Celia swallowed and nodded. She was suddenly aware that Stu was still holding her hand. He lightly rubbed his thumb over hers and squeezed her hand gently.

\\-oOo -/

Katrina sat at her desk as she worked on her latest case - a copyright infringement between two milliners. She exhaled slowly as she sat back in her chair trying to figure out who was infringing the copyright. Both milliners came out with the same design at the same time. It was times like this that she missed working with Brian as they bounced ideas of each other so well. Now she was stuck with Susan as her associate and although they worked well together on cases she just couldn't connect with her.

She reached for her office phone and dialled the number to Susan's cubicle in the bullpen. "Susan. Could you come see me please?" Susan told her she would be with her in twenty minutes.

"Twice in one week. We must stop meeting like this!"

She looked up to see the firm messenger standing by the door. "Another one?"

"No flowers this time Katrina," he said handing her an A4 sized envelope. "Did you find out who your secret admirer is?"

"No I didn't Jorge," she sighed putting the envelope on her desk.

"Could be the love story of the year!" Jorge said with a laugh as he left the office.

She paced the office looking at the envelope every now and again. _"I'm not opening it." _She stopped and turned to look out the window. Curiosity got to her and she leaned forward and grabbed the envelope off the table. She ripped the top off and emptied the contents out.

She blinked her eyes in surprise when she picked up two tickets.

She had received two tickets for the New York City Ballet's performance to Sleeping Beauty. She checked the envelope again but there was nothing else in there. She examined the tickets and noticed that the date on them was for one week later.

To be continued


	10. Chapter 10

\\-oOo -/

"Donna. Do you have a minute?" Katrina asked standing at the door of the COO's office. Her hands were clasped tightly together.

"That's about all I have, " replied Donna placing her cellphone on the desk. "Between organizing the launch party, the firm retreat and the million and one things I have to do here..."

"I can come back? " Katrina turned back towards the door.

"No, No. Don't be silly. Come in," smiled Donna waving her over to the chair in front of her desk. She saw the frown on Katrina's face. "What's up?"

"I just got these, " the blonde woman placed the ballet tickets on the desk in front of her.

Donna reached over to pick them up her eyes widening when she saw what they were. "Sleeping Beauty? That's an amazing production. I heard these tickets go for $200 a pop!"

"Seats are on the balcony so they're a lot more expensive," replied Katrina.

"Who are they from?"

"I don't know! Probably the same person sending the flowers? " Katrina said.

"Your secret admirer!" Donna whispered dramatically .

"What am I supposed to do with these?"

"Why don't you go? Maybe your secret admirer will be there!" Donna said with a grin.

"Or! You could come with me and we enjoy the ballet!" Katrina said giving Donna a hopeful look.

"I like that idea! " Donna said excitedly. "When is it?"

"Next Friday."

Donna let out a sigh. "I can't. That's Thomas's name launch party night!"

" Shoot, " Katrina said with a pout. "I really don't want to go alone."

"Hey, what if. ..what if that extra ticket wasn't meant for any one else," Donna said as her eyes widened with the thought she had.

"What do you mean?" Katrina asked with a frown.

"Maybe you are supposed to meet your secret admirer there!"

"That's a bit far fetched don't you think?"

"Maybe not but I know you enjoy the ballet. Why not just go and enjoy it?" Donna said with a smile.

"If I go I miss your party," Katrina said standing up and walking towards the office door.

"Are you not the slightest bit curious as to who is sending you flowers and ballet tickets? " Donna asked as she reached the door.

Katrina turned around with a frown. "Honestly? It's creepy as hell but it must be someone I know that knows that I enjoy the ballet. "

"Any ideas?"

She shook her head. "I did think it was Brian but he wouldn't have the balls to do this. And I am still not about to put my hand in the cookie jar."

"Good! And if it does happen to be Brian. Get the hell out of there! You don't need that complication in your life! " advised Donna.

"Don't worry I'll be outta there as fast as my ballet pumps can take me! " grinned Katrina before she did a pirouette out of the office.

Donna smiled to herself and busied herself with the contracts in front of her.

\ -oOo -/

"Are you sure you are ok? " Stu asked as they were driven from the airfield to the Boylston Technologies manufacturing plant a few miles outside Rochester. Celia had practically turned green when the plane landed and rushed to the bathroom once they had deplaned.

"I'm fine Stu," she replied still feeling a little queasy after the turbulent flight. She looked out the car window. Her thoughts racing. The feel of his hand and fingers holding hers on the plane still burned into her consciousness. She cleared her throat and noticed that small white flakes began falling. "It's snowing!"

"I thought it wasn't supposed to affect Rochester, " Stu said.

"This is just a little flurry," replied George Harris who had picked them up from the airport. He was the manufacturing manager and had known Richard Franklyn for many years.

"It's not even sticking to the ground," replied Richard from the front seat of the car.

George glanced through the rear view mirror at Stu. "It's a pretty packed schedule you guys have today. We'll give you a tour of the plant while Rich is meeting with the union. Celia is running the focus group which is scheduled for an hour and a half. The staff are aware that this visit is a big deal but haven't been told why. But there has been speculation. "

"We'll need to ease people's fears about them losing their jobs," replied Celia.

Stu glanced at her making a mental note to himself to talk to her about not building up people's hopes too much. But he couldn't get the feel of her soft hands out of his mind. Touching her was like having an electrical charge through him and he felt buzzed. He wanted to touch her again. To feel her softness. To get to know her. She was a tough one to figure out though but he felt some sort of connection with her. He stole a glance at her. She sat almost motionless in the car staring out the window. Loose curls escaped her pony tail giving her a youthful appearance. Her hands remained on her lap but she fidgeted with them slightly. Her perfume was different to the one she had worn the other day. It was light and feminine. He reluctantly turned his gaze away from her and looked out his own window half listening to the conversation between the two men in the front seat.

Several minutes later they were turning into the business park complex. Industrial units of various sizes lined the sprawling landscape. It was like a small city. Stu recognized some of the big names. Eastman Kodak. Carestream Health. Khuri Enterprises. He wondered how much Richard was paying on the lease.

The car stopped outside the entrance to Boylston Technologies. It was a huge warehouse type building made from corrugated steel with two big roll up doors to the front with a line of small windows above them. The occupants got out of the car with George opening the trunk to retrieve Celia's wheelie bag. Stu stood by the car surveying the building and noticing the hive of activity at the goods inward section. Flurries of snow continued to float around but a cold wind began to pick up and it began to snow a little heavier.

"We transport the First Steps module via the Intra Plant rail road," Richard explained to Stu indicating the big truck parked at the goods inwards door.

"As a matter of interest Richard. What is the lease like on this building? " Stu asked rubbing his hands together to warm his hands up.

"$250,000 over a period of 5 years, " replied Richard.

"So $1,250,000. And what is the square footage?"

"The total parcel size is 6.9 acres, " replied Richard.

"$32,000 an acre, " mused Stu with a low whistle. He glanced back at Celia who was speaking to George. "How much does it cost to transport the First Steps module?"

"$5,000. We could do it cheaper but we couldn't be guaranteed that the module would arrive safely. It needs to be handled with care, " replied Richard. "This way." He started walking towards a small door beside one of the transport bays.

Stu nodded and followed him. He looked around for Celia but she seemed to have disappeared. They entered into a bright and airy reception area. Several doors to the left and right of the reception warned of entering a hazardous work space. "You can leave your belongings in the employee locker room once you have signed in. And you can pick up your protective clothing from the storeroom, " Richard said. "Barbara will give you the grand tour."

Stu signed the visitor book and noticed that Celia had signed in before him.

Celia sat in one of the offices that had been assigned to her. She pulled out all the documents and placed them on a rolling cart. She was hoping that this visit would convince Stu about the viability of this location. She had overheard him talking to Richard about the lease. She noticed that the snow was getting a lot heavier outside.

\\-oOo -/

"These hats are very different," Susan said to Katrina as they both examined the two pieces of head ware.

"Both exquisitely made with the finest materials, " the senior partner said running her hand over them. "Willus Millinery is an up and coming company. Saundra Willus started out at her kitchen table and struggled to get the finance for years until she met Harriet Wilders. Wilders' Hats took on Saundra and are now claiming she stole their design. But Saundra says that the design was hers from the beginning. She said she didn't have an exclusivity deal with Harriet."

"Which means that she was working on her own designs while working with Harriet. But Harriet claims there was an exclusivity deal," replied Susan.

"We have to prove that there was no such deal," Katrina said.

"How do we prove that? It's Saundra's word against Harriet's."

"I don't know, " mused Katrina. "We'll have to go through the paperwork again."

\ -oOo -/

Harvey looked at his watch. He had planned to leave early so he and Marcus could go for an early dinner and drinks. He checked his laptop for some last minute emails and was satisfied that there was nothing urgent or that none of his clients where in the middle of crises or breakdowns. He got to his feet grabbing his jacket and strode out of his office. He had just reached Donna's old desk when he saw the familiar sight of Abigail Walston walking towards him. He groaned to himself when she reached him.

"Abigail," he said when she stopped in front of him.

"You haven't returned my phone calls. Louis said that you'd still be my lawyer, " she said almost petulantly.

"I'm about to leave for the day Abigail. Can it wait till Monday?"

She glared at him and walked past him into his office. He rolled his eyes and followed her in.

"What can I do for you Abigail? " he asked leaning against his desk.

"I want to merge my company with another," she replied sitting on one of the black leather chairs.

"Ok. So who do you want to merge with?" Harvey asked reluctantly sitting back down on his own chair.

"Callipo Foods."

Harvey looked at her with confusion. "Why do you want to merge with Callipo. Gailann isn't even in the same business."

"Because it's a good fit Harvey and I want to build Gailann's brand. This is the way to do it, " Abigail said handing over the file she had.

He briefly looked at the file and then back at her. "Ok. I'll put the feelers out and get back to you on Monday."

"Thank you Harvey, " she said standing up. "I am putting my trust in you to make this happen. I don't want any mistakes like the last time with First Steps."

" Abigail, " he said in a warning tone. "I'll get your merger."

Abigail nodded and left the office walking past Donna who gave her a polite smile.

"Abigail Walston again?" She asked Harvey .

"Yeah my favourite client," he said rolling his eyes.

"I've still got a funny feeling about her," Donna said looking back in the direction of the elevator.

Harvey glanced at her knowing that when Donna had a feeling about something she was usually right. "I can't think about this now. I'm already late for Marcus."

"Where are you both going? " Donna asked.

"La Casa for dinner and drinks and hopefully get his mind off things," replied Harvey.

"Is he still having a hard time? "

"He's missing the kids."

"He'll be fine Harvey. After all he is a Specter," she said with a grin as they both walked to the elevator.

"So what are your plans for the weekend?" he asked pressing the elevator button.

"Work, work and more work with maybe a glass of wine or two. The firm retreat is more or less finalised and Thomas's party is in hand," Donna said. "You are coming to the name launch next week aren't you?"

"I'm invited? How does Thomas feel about that?" Harvey asked with a smirk.

"I told him I invited the firm. He didn't question it," she replied watching as Harvey stepped inside the elevator. The door closed and she took a step back against the wall and leaned against it with a heavy sigh.

\\-oOo -/

"So how was the tour?" Celia asked when she bumped into Stu in the staff cafeteria. She reached for some bagels and placed them on top of the croissants she already had on the tray.

"It was interesting," he replied looking amused at her tray of food. "More?"

"They are so good!" she exclaimed with a raise of her eyebrows.

He chuckled softly. "How did the focus group go?"

"It was great. They have a fantastic team here, " replied Celia. They both sat at a vacant table. Several employees were scattered around having lunch or drinking coffee. She was aware of the looks and whispers they were receiving from them. "The staff are aware of the rumours that the plant could be relocating. We need to allay their concerns at the meeting after this. "

Stu didn't reply as he was certain that if the plant was to survive relocation was the first option. He didn't want to say anything yet but he had a site in Jersey in mind. But he needed to get Celia to see that this was a good option. He knew he was feeling something for her. It was a long time since he even considered a relationship with anyone since he left Lauren. Or rather she left him.

"Excuse me? You're the investor aren't you?" One of the employees asked from the other table.

"I'm on the board," replied Stu.

"But you have a say in what happens to the plant," the employee asked.

"Rob isn't it?" Celia asked. "You have a great team here and we will do all can..."

"We're going to lay it all out to you guys at the plant meeting," Stu interrupted. "One on one discussions in this case don't help. "

"Wow! Look how hard it's snowing now!" exclaimed one of the other employees. "I hope we can get home."

"I hope we can get home too," muttered Celia quietly when she and Stu looked out the window. The little flurries had developed into a complete blizzard and snow began to pile up in drifts against the building.

"We can build an igloo if we don't," Stu said with a wink.

A loud alarm sounded through out the building.

"Time for the meeting," Richard Franklyn said coming into the canteen. "We're going to have it on the main plant floor. Stu and Celia got to their feet and followed him out the door. Stu placed his hand on the small of her back as they pushed through the melee of people

They stood to the side of the floor watching as Richard explained to his employees that the plant was operating at full capacity but that there was no time for complacency even if business was good. A competitor shut down the previous year despite operating through the recession.

"But what about the rumours that the plant is relocating?" One of the employees shouted up. This was followed by several others shouting the same thing.

"Folks, this is Stu Buzzini. He's a member of the board and a shareholder in Bolyston," Richard said indicating Stu to come up beside him. "He has been looking into making the plant the best that it can be."

Celia watched as Stu began speaking and tried to allay the fears of the employees. Even when several more employees began shouting up at him he kept calm and answered their questions.

"Cece here met with a small group earlier and they seemed to have done some terrific work on how to improve efficiencies and they have worked out a plan of action, " he said glancing over at her. "The 10 part questionnaire she will be handing out can be filled out at your leisure. It will give us a better handle on things like staff morale, how you would like to see the plant thrive etc. She will be available to answer your questions via email or phone. "

She smiled at him as she began to distribute the questionnaire with Barbara the HR manager giving her a hand.

"Folks, we're aware that the weather has turned for the worst so we're going to wrap this up," Richard said. "Any one who is not needed can go home. Those on the night shift need to be clocked in as soon as possible. "

"Richard. We just heard that they've closed the airport," George said coming over to him.

"Shit. I was hoping to get back to the City tonight," he replied. He looked over at Celia and Stu who were chatting to Barbara. "They won't be to happy."

"The airport has been shut down," he said walking over to them.

"You're kidding?" Celia said with a sigh.

"Where's the closest hotel?" Stu asked taking out his cellphone .

"The Marriott but it's fully booked due to the Pharmaceutical convention, " replied George.

"Looks like it's an igloo then," Stu said.

"It might not have to be an igloo. George and I have a small apartment on our property. It's basic but you both are more than welcome to stay there, " Barbara said to them.

"Um," Celia said feeling a bit awkward about the offer. She glanced at Stu who seemed to be waiting on what she was going to say."We don't want to put you out."

"You won't be putting us out, " smiled Barbara.

"If it's ok with you," Celia said turning to Stu. He nodded and put away his cellphone.

"That's settled then," Barbara said. "Rich, I presume you are going to stay at Pam's?"

Richard seemed a little embarrassed but nodded. "Yeah. I guess I am."

Barbara patted his arm. "At least you can both talk things through." She turned back to Celia and Stu. "I'll be ready to go in five minutes."

\\-oOo -/

"This is beautiful," Celia said as Barbara showed them around the apartment. It had an open plan living room and kitchen with large windows and a small enclosed porch facing the lake. A spiral staircase led to another floor. Stu was taking their bags out of the car.

"The bedroom is upstairs. The views are amazing from there. There should be enough bed linen and towels for you both," Barbara said.

Celia suddenly realized that she thought that she and Stu were together. "Oh. We aren't tog...we're not...you know," she said feeling a little flustered.

Barbara took in a breath. "Oh! I 'm sorry. I thought you were. You seem so familiar with each other. "

"I hardly know him..." Celia said in a low voice.

"OH. I wouldn't have suggested that you both stay here if I'd known that," the other woman said.

"It's fine Barbara honestly," smiled Celia. "One of us will take the couch."

Barbara smiled and patted her arm as Stu came into the apartment shaking snow off him. "There's beer and some food supplies but you are both welcome to join us for dinner. "

"That's very kind of you Barbara," Celia said.

"Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes. You can get yourselves settled before you come over," the other woman said as she left the apartment.

Celia looked over at Stu who had taken out his laptop. "By the way, there's only one bed. "

His head shot up in surprise. "Oh. Well being a gentleman I would have of course insisted that you take it. "

"I would have taken it whether you insisted or not," she replied with a smirk.

"No doubt you would have," he scoffed leaning against the counter.

She let out a short laugh while she picked up her bag and climbed the spiral staircase. His eyes followed her as she disappeared up the stairs.

\\-oOo -/

"This is a great place," Marcus said to his brother as they sat down at the bar at La Casa. The sports bar was only a block away from the firm. Harvey liked it for it's laid back ambiance and also the fact that they showed the latest sports on multiple TVs placed around. "Of course it doesn't hold a candle to Saxophone."

"Have you ever considered expanding? Like opening a chain of restaurants? " Harvey asked.

Marcus nodded. "I've thought about it. Only expansion costs money."

"Do it one at a time, " replied his brother. "I have a client who is thinking about closing up shop. It's midtown, the lease is controlled so it won't increase over time. It's a no brainer Marcus."

"Sounds great," Marcus replied. "Where is it?"

"Here!" grinned Harvey picking up his beer.

Marcus raised his eyebrows in surprise as he took in the surroundings. "I can see it. Some renovations will be required. "

"You can get a manager in to over see everything while you're in Boston so you don't have to be on hand for every decision and you still get to spend time with the kids. A new project will get you out of your funk!"

Marcus sat back in his stool and looked around again. "I'm going to have to see the numbers."

"I have the prospectus at home. We can go over it later," replied Harvey. He raised his beer bottle and clinked it against his brother's bottle. "To Saxophone New York."

\\-oOo -/

"That was delicious," Celia said to Barbara as they all sat around the dinner table of George and Barbara's farmhouse. Their 15 year old daughter Stacey had joined them. "It's not very often I have a home cooked meal."

"You don't cook?" Barbara asked.

"I'm actually a great cook but I don't get to do it very often. I usually end up eating take out at the office."

"Or living off bagels," teased Stu getting up to help clear off the table. Celia glanced at him and smiled.

"Stacey, Celia was a judge, " George said to his daughter who looked impressed. "You work hard in school and you could have a great career like these two. "

"What was it like being a judge?" Stacey asked.

"It was all I wanted to do, " smiled Celia. "But it was hard work but very rewarding, to me anyway. "

"What Law School did you go to?"

"I went to Harvard," replied Celia.

Stu watched as she chatted to the teenager. He noticed that her face lit up when she chatted and giggled with her. Celia sensed his gaze on her and she raised her head to meet his eyes. A small smile formed on her lips before she turned her attention back to the teenager. "So what would really you like to do?"

"Uncle Richard said if I put my mind to it I can do anything," Stacey said.

"Your uncle Richard is right, " George chimed in. "He was 22 when he formed what was going to be Boylston Technologies. He's worked hard getting the plant to where it is today."

Stu nodded and understood the message George was conveying to him. "You can do anything you want. " echoing something similar he had said to Donna a couple of years ago.

"Oh. I just realized that I never told you how the heating worked. The apartment can get a bit cold especially in this weather," Barbara said.

"We'll figure it out," replied Stu with a smile.

Celia stood up and began to clear off the table. "You can leave that," Barbara said to her. "Stacey can help out."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Barbara nodded. "Yes I'm sure."

"We'll get out of your hair then. Thank you so much for putting us up," replied Celia.

"There are some DVDs up there and I think there's a couple of board games as well, " George said handing them both a navy jacket with Boylston Technologies written on the back. "The weather is supposed to improve tomorrow morning so the airport will re-open."

"And if you need anything just give us a call," added Barbara.

Celia and Stu nodded their thanks and headed back to the apartment.

"Oh it's cold," Celia said pushing her hands into the pocket of her jacket. Their feet went deep into the pristine white blanket on the ground as the wind whipped up and blew heavy snowflakes around them.

"I can warm you up," Stu said. "Do you want me to warm you up?"

Celia frowned as she looked at him. "You're not getting the bed you know."

"The thought never crossed my mind!" he exclaimed .

Celia grinned to herself and reached down to pick up some snow and pushed it down his back. "This might cool you down!"

He let out a shriek and bent down to grab some snow. "You are so going to pay for that!" He shoved the snow into her neck. She gasped at the feeling of the coldness and pushed his arms away before losing her balance and falling flat on her ass on the ground. Stu chuckled as he gave her a hand up. She grabbed his hand and they both fell on the ground laughing.

"My ass is getting cold," complained Celia feeling the coldness seep into her clothes.

"You play hockey and you're complaining about the cold?" He struggled to his feet and pulled her up. He held onto her waist and they gazed at each other for several seconds before she turned around and walked up the hill to the apartment.

\\-oOo-/

She sat on the bench in the porch outside the apartment. She hugged her knees against her chest with a blanket wrapped around her as she watched the white flakes float down. The patio heater created a warm glow in the darkness. Stu came out of the door and handed her a bottle of beer.

"When I lived in San Francisco I wished for days like this," she said to him as he sat down beside her. "I missed the harsh east coast winters."

"Can't imagine anyone missing this, " Stu said looking out.

"You live in San Francisco for seven years you would feel different, " she smiled. "Although I loved the Northern California climate. "

"Wow. Seven years. Is that where you met Phillip? " He saw the look of surprise she gave him. "You mentioned him earlier."

She lowered her head before staring off into the distance. "Phillip was my husband."

" Oh, " replied Stu.

"He died. Eight weeks ago," she said taking a sip from the bottle of beer.

"I'm sorry, " he said genuinely meaning it. He now thought he understood why she was keeping her distance from him. "Is that why you came back east?"

A small laugh escaped her throat which sounded bitter to him. "That... is a long and complicated story." She shivered from the cold. "I saw Scrabble and Connect 4 inside. Want me to beat your ass with a triple word score? "

"I'm more of a Connect 4 man myself, " Stu smiled sensing she wasn't ready to talk yet.

"Connect 4 it is then," she grinned as they both went inside.

\\-oOo -/

"You know Harvey, the more I think about it the more I love the idea of Saxophone New York," Marcus said putting the folder down on the coffee table in Harvey's apartment.

"Good. I can set up a meeting with the Larry, owner of La Casa," Harvey said drinking another beer.

"Can you set it up tomorrow?," Marcus asked hopefully.

"Quick off the bat!" Harvey said happy to see that his brother was so enthusiastic about the new restaurant.

"May as well strike while the iron was hot as dad would say, " Marcus smiled. He glanced around the apartment noticing how neat and tidy it was. It amused him that Harvey was the same when he was younger. There was a place for everything and woe betide anyone who moved anything. "Don't you ever clean this place? It's a mess!"

Harvey narrowed his eyes as he glared at his brother. "This place is not a mess! "

"The only sign of life is this cactus," Marcus said pointing to the plant that Donna had given him years ago.

"That cactus is a reminder that I can care for something other than myself . It's a symbol of..."

"A symbol of what?" asked Marcus curiously.

"Donna gave it to me," Harvey said.

His brother raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

"Before you say it little brother she's with someone," Harvey said.

"She 's your someone special isn't she?"

"What did you just say? " Harvey said looking at his brother in annoyance.

"Mom told me that you told her that someone special convinced you to make it up with her. She thought it was Paula but it's Donna, " Marcus said.

Harvey stared into his bottle of beer but didn't answer.

"Let me tell you something. A woman that beautiful isn't going to wait around forever Harvey," Marcus continued. "You gotta go for it."

\\-oOo -/

"And we replaced all his prunies with Red Bull, " Stu said with a wry grin. They were both seated on the floor with a pile of blue and yellow counters scattered on the coffee table. Celia had beaten him by six games to four before they both got bored.

Celia giggled as she finished her beer. "I'd say he was not impressed with that! "

"He was not. It almost cost us the lease," chuckled Stu.

"When I was associate I locked him in a storeroom," she revealed to him.

He looked at her with surprise. "You?"

She nodded with a laugh . "Yeah. To stop him from getting first chair on a case."

He sat back on his heels as he gazed at her. "I never would have thought you were such a rebel."

She laughed again. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

He leaned towards her and lightly brushed his fingers against her cheek. "But I do want to get to know you."

With her heart skipping a beat she felt his breath on her face as their lips moved closer. It was like slow motion and the tips of their noses touched before the sound of a knock on the door made them break apart. She let out a short sigh dropping her head as she got to her feet and answered it to see Barbara with a pile of blankets. "I meant to bring these earlier."

"Thanks Barbara. Would you like a beer?" Celia asked.

"No thanks, " replied Barbara noticing the Connect 4 on the table. "Enjoy your game. The forecast is for clear skies tomorrow so the airport should definitely open."

"That's great," replied Celia looking over at Stu who had moved back onto the sofa.

"Good night," Barbara said nearly sure she had interrupted something.

Celia closed the door and put the blankets on the counter. She rested her hands on them biting her lower lip before she turned around . Her expression was unreadable to him. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning. "

He stood up as she picked up one of the blankets. "Cece..."

"Good night, " she said effectively ending anything that would have happened.

To be continued


	11. Chapter 11

\\-oOo -/

Saturday

Abigail Walston sat at a bench in Central Park. It was quite cool for the end of October. The foliage on the trees had already turned to gorgeous orangey red hues and in a couple of weeks they would be crunching underfoot from the golden carpet on the ground. She shivered a little and pulled her coat in closer. A hand on her shoulder startled her and she jumped up off the bench with a yell to see Daniel standing behind her.

"Scared you did I?" He smirked .

"You frightened the life out of me!" she exclaimed her heart racing like it had leapt into her mouth. She sat back down on the bench with Daniel not moving from his position.

"Like I always told you Abigail. Never expect the unexpected. Familiarity breeds contempt, " he said.

"Another life lesson from the great Daniel Hardman," she replied almost sounding bitter.

"Celia's investigator is getting close. It's time to clear out the NYC Law Services office."

"Consider it done," she said watching people walking and running in front of her.

"And I trust that plans for the merger are in motion?"

"As we planned Daniel," replied Abigail.

"Good," he said patting her shoulder.

"I get a weird vibe from that woman Donna. I remember seeing her at the Law Society Ball a couple of months ago. "

"She wouldn't remember you. She saw you from a distance," Daniel said. "As long as we stick to our plan no one will suspect anything. I'll see you later."

Abigail huddled up in her coat as Daniel walked away.

\\-oOo -/

Celia ran along the waterfront. The running track had been cleared leaving small snow drifts along the side. It had stopped snowing during the night and the wind had died down but there was still a slight chill in the air even though there was a cloudless blue sky. Her heart pounded as she ran. Another night of sleep had eluded her. Maybe it was a strange place or maybe it was the fact that Stu was sleeping on the couch downstairs. Images of the dream she had of them flashed into her head distracting her from her run. Normally she could clear her head and think things through on her runs but it wasn't working today. She just couldn't get him out of her head. They had almost kissed too before they were interrupted. It probably would have gone further. But did she really want to go there? She wasn't sure. A sharp pain in her side made her slow down and she came to a stop beside a bench looking out at the lake. The water closest to the shore was frozen with large packs of ice. Danger signs warned people about going out on the ice. Soft thuds could be heard now and again from the snow slipping off the still leafy trees She held her side with her hand waiting for the pain to subside and she breathed slowly before taking off on her run back to the apartment.

Hearing his cellphone ring from the kitchen Stu wrapped his towel around his waist and hurried to answer the phone before it stopped. Getting there just in time he saw that Richard Franklyn was calling him.

"Good morning Richard."

"Stu, the airport is reopening at 1, " Richard said over the phone. "I've got some loose ends to tie up here so it will be just you and Celia."

"Good. And we do need to discuss the options for the plant relocation soon as possible," Stu replied.

"How does Tuesday after Halloween sound?"

"I was hoping we could meet earlier," Stu said. " But that sounds fine."

"The responses back from the questionnaire have been interesting. And I've just gone through Celia's plan of action from the focus group which is very comprehensive."

"We can go through that in detail at the meeting," replied Stu before saying goodbye and hanging up.

He placed his cellphone back on the coffee table and wondered when Celia would be back. He heard her going out earlier and presumed she was going out running.

The front door opened as he headed back to the bathroom and he stood face to face with Celia. She was flushed and looked cold from her run. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw him standing in front of her wrapped in just a towel. His dark hair slightly damp from his shower. Droplets of water clung to his lean well defined chest.

"You're back," he said feeling conscious of the fact that he was wearing just a towel. He fixed it around his waist.

"I am," she replied trying not to make it too obvious that she was checking him out.

"How was your run?"

"It was good," she replied. "It's stopped snowing."

"So I saw. Franklyn called. The airport will be reopening at 1," he said.

"Oh, " she said feeling a bit disappointed. "That's good."

"I'll just go. .. and get dressed," Stu said bumping into her as they both stepped to the same side . Apologizing he moved to other side while she did the same.

"After you," he grinned as she stood back to let him pass her.

Her eyes followed him as he entered the bathroom. _He does have a good body she thought to herself. _Biting her bottom lip she exhaled slowly and leaned against the kitchen counter stretching out her muscles. The pain in her side had lessened to a dull ache. She figured that she hadn't warmed up enough before she went running.

Stu came back out of the bathroom several minutes later wearing a white T shirt and jeans. She was seated at the counter typing on her laptop still wearing her running shorts and t shirt. She raised her head when she saw him and gave him a smile.

"Have you eaten?" he asked. "I saw eggs in the fridge. I make a mean omelette."

"You're going to cook me breakfast?" she asked in amusement.

"I'm cooking me breakfast. You can stick to your bagels," he teased opening the fridge door and taking out a tray of eggs and other ingredients.

"It wouldn't be very nice to make yourself something and not offer anything to me," she replied with a smirk.

"Let me tell you something Celia. This omelette recipe has been passed down through the Buzzini family. Generations of Buzzini women have made this for their men," Stu said with a wink.

"Oh well if it is the Buzzini family recipe then I will have to try it out," she said resting her arm on the counter. She sucked in a breath as the sharp pain in her side seemed to have come back with a vengeance. "Ow."

He glanced at her to see that she had stood up and was rubbing the side of her body with her hand. "Are you ok?"

"Just a weird pain I got when I was out running. Probably just a pulled muscle or something. "I'll be fine," she smiled. "I'll just go and get changed."

Stu busied himself in the kitchen preparing the eggs for his omelette. He stifled a yawn. He hadn't slept well either knowing how close to kissing he and Celia had gotten the night before. It probably would have gone further had they not been interrupted.

"That smells great, " she said coming back down the stairs. He noticed that she had changed into a floral blouse and jeans. She had left her hair down. He was used to seeing her with her hair tied back. She looked different. Carefree.

"How's the pain?" he asked with concern in his eyes handing her the plate .

"Gone!" she smiled . She leaned over and smelled the food on the plate. "This smells amazing!"

"Told you," he grinned. "Coffee?"

Her nose wrinkled at the smell of the coffee pot brewing. "Eugh, no thanks."

They both ate in silence lost in their own thoughts.

"There's more if you want some," he said seeing that she had finished the entire omelette.

"Oh please!" she exclaimed . "I think it's the fresh air that's making me so hungry!"

"I'll say," he grinned getting up to put more on her plate.

"Cece..." He started to say wanting to talk to her about the night before but her cellphone buzzed which indicated that she had received a text.

She picked it up to read it. "Shit!"

"What is it?"

"One of my clients is in the middle of a crisis," she said. "Which means I've to go straight to the firm to sort it out."

"Oh," he replied hoping to spend more time with her when they got back to New York. "About what happened..."

A knock on the door interrupted him and he rolled his eyes as he went to answer the door to see Barbara standing on the porch. He smiled and let her in.

"I just wanted to let you know that the airport has reopened. Your flight back to the city is at 13.00 hours," she said.

"Thanks Barbara," Celia said with a smile. "And thanks again for putting us up."

"That's no problem. I hope you both slept well," the other woman replied.

"Yep," Celia said as Stu nodded.

"I'll let you both get ready and I'll pick you up at 12.30," Barbara said turning back towards the door. She stopped and turned to look at her two guests. "I hope I am not speaking out of turn here. But Boylston Technologies has been a part of this community for many years. We're like a family. To relocate the plant would be like tearing the family apart."

Celia glanced at Stu who had no expression on his face. "Barbara, we're going to do all we can to keep Boylston in Rochester. I give you my word."

"Thank you Celia," replied Barbara going out the door.

"You shouldn't make promises that you may not be able to keep," Stu said with a feeling of annoyance.

Celia turned to look at him. "You made the same promise yesterday to those people!"

"I did and like I said we would do what we could do and look at all our options," he replied.

"What were you going to say earlier?" Celia asked remembering that Barbara had interrupted what he was going to say.

"Doesn't matter," he replied picking up the plates and taking them to the sink.

\\-oOo -/

The sound of loud snores coming from the living room of Harvey's apartment began to annoy Harvey. He groaned as he pulled the sheets over his head to hide the awful noise but he couldn't bear it any longer and dragged himself out of his bed. Pushing his hand through his spiky hair he moved into his living room. Marcus was lying flat on his back on the couch. Harvey picked up a cushion and threw it at his brother waking him mid snore.

"Hey," grumbled Marcus indignantly pushing the cushion off him.

"No wonder Katie divorced you!" exclaimed Harvey ambling over to his kitchen and started to prepare his coffee maker.

"As if you don't snore," Marcus said sitting up on the couch.

"I don't," replied Harvey. "The best closer in New York doesn't snore!"

"You should hear yourself sometime," his brother said swinging his feet onto the floor and standing up.

Harvey didn't reply and set about pouring coffee for both of them. "Shit. I just realized that I left the game tickets at the office. We can pick them up on our way to meet Larry."

"Cool," replied Marcus. "Hey I met a pretty blonde lady there yesterday. Katrina. Is she involved with anyone do you know?"

"I'm not privy to the personal lives of all my colleagues Marcus," Harvey said rolling his eyes. "But if you're going to be spending more time in the city then maybe you should get to know her. She's a little odd though. And Louis' protege."

"Louis has a protege? " Marcus had heard about Louis from Harvey over the years.

"Hard to believe," Harvey said with a chuckle. "Also hard to believe that he's managing partner and about to have a baby."

Marcus took a sip from his cup and grimaced at the sweet taste of vanilla. "Damn. I forget that you take your coffee with vanilla.'

"It's awesome! Donna got me into it when we worked for the DA," replied Harvey.

Marcus glanced at his brother but didn't say anything. He had hoped that the conversation about Donna they had the night before would spur Harvey to do something. He probably wouldn't though knowing him.

\\-oOo -/

"So I guess I'll see you at the launch party on Friday," Stu said as they got off the plane at the airfield in New York. It had been an uneventful flight. Celia had fallen asleep just after take off and he read the newspaper and caught up on the latest stock market news.

"I suppose," she replied picking up her suitcase.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment not knowing what to say to each other. It was one of those rare times that Stu wanted to say more but didn't.

Celia 's car pulled up beside her. She glanced at it and then back at him. "My ride is here. I guess I'll see you soon."

He nodded watching her get into the car and drive off.

"Nice one Stu," he muttered to himself wishing he had said what he wanted to say earlier.

Celia arrived back at the firm half an hour later. She stood in the elevator deep in thought when it arrived onto the 50th floor. It was Saturday so the usual buzz in the office was gone. No one usually came in on Saturdays unless it was an emergency. Although Harvey was known to come in sometimes. She glanced at the sign on the wall and a feeling of disappointment came over her. She wasn't going to get her promotion to Name Partner this year because of her stupidity. All she could do was to prove herself to the others that she deserved to be made name partner.

The elevator dinged and she turned to see Katrina stepping out of it. "Celia, you're back! "

"Yes I am," she smiled . "Forbes has got himself into a mess again!"

"That moron, " Katrina said rolling her eyes. "The hat case is proving a bit difficult. I just came in to see if anything in the paperwork jumped out at me. "

"Good luck with that. But if you need someone to bounce ideas off just give me a shout, " Celia said giving her a smile as she walked towards her office.

Katrina headed to hers and was immediately drawn to the big balloon bouquet sitting in the middle of her office. "What the hell?"

Grabbing a letter opener from her desk she popped every balloon and dumped the remains in the trash.

\\-oOo -/

"Celia, do you have a minute?" Katrina asked as she stepped into her office about twenty minutes later carrying two large hat boxes.

"Yeah I do," she replied looking up from her laptop. She had more or less sorted out her client's issue with a competitor and would send the paperwork over to the court on Monday.

Katrina placed the two boxes on the desk and opened them. "Two hats. What do you see?"

Celia got to her feet and picked one up to examine it. "This is exquisite."

"This is Saundra Wllius' design," explained Katrina. "The other one is designed by Harriet Wilders."

"I really don't see how Saundra has copied this one," replied Celia. "They're both very different."

"The similarities lie in the stitching. Look at the underside, " Katrina said turning the hat over to show the other woman. "Saundra makes all her headwear with this stitching. It's her signature."

"And Harriet copied of her and said it was hers? "

"Yes but the question is how do we prove it?" asked Katrina .

"Don't designers have a copy of their pattern? I'm not familiar with the fashion industry but I do know copyright in software development. There's usually a time stamp on the process all the way through," replied Celia rummaging through a filing cabinet to show Katrina a document.

Her eyes widened when she looked at the document and then back at the hats. "Wait a minute!"

"What you got?" asked Celia as Katrina picked up the huge file relating to her case.

"This!" she exclaimed picking up photos of Saundra proudly holding her first design. "See the calender date on the wall?"

Celia nodded when she examined the photo. "That's it! That will work!"

"This proves that Saundra had the design a full 3 years before Harriet claims she did! " Katrina said excitedly. "Thanks Cece!"

"I do like this hat," Celia smiled placing the voluminous creation on her head. She tilted her head and pouted her lips. "I could be a fashion model."

Katrina giggled as she placed the other one on her. "We'd both be the star of the catwalk."

They laughed as they both went into the hallway and began strutting like supermodels towards the elevator. They weren't aware of the elevator dinging and opening as they tried out various silly poses.

Harvey and Marcus stepped out of the elevator and were met by two massive dancing hats. Marcus watched in amusement as Harvey coughed into his hand. Celia stopped laughing when she saw the two men standing behind them with looks of bemusement on their faces. She cleared her throat and took the hat off her head and poked Katrina who was showing off her ballet positions.

"Ow!" exclaimed Katrina before noticing Harvey and Marcus.

"What the hell's going on here?" demanded Harvey pretending to be angry but his eyes crinkled as he struggled to contain his laughter.

"We were just...we were..., " stammered Katrina her face blushing bright red embarrassed to be caught acting so silly.

"Don't mind him," Marcus said to her. "He's like the Grinch that stole Christmas sometimes."

"Marcus, meet our two Senior supermodels it seems. I think you met Katrina yesterday and this is Celia. You may or may not have spoken to her before. Marcus is buying a restaurant in the city, " Harvey said introducing them.

"I don't think we've spoken before,' Celia said shaking his hand. "Which restaurant are you giving them the Specter touch to? "

"La Casa, " replied Marcus.

"I never heard of it," Katrina said.

"It's a block from here, " Marcus told her. "It's the second restaurant towards world domination! "

"Well l look forward to seeing it when the sale is complete, " smiled Katrina.

While Marcus and Katrina chatted about his plans for the restaurant Harvey smiled at Celia. "I heard you were snowbound in Rochester."

"I was. I got back a little while ago," she replied.

"Hope Stu behaved himself," he smirked .

"Even cooked me breakfast this morning," she answered feeling awkward discussing Stu with him.

The elevator dinged again and they looked over to see Samantha getting out of it. She looked surprised to see the four standing around the lobby. "Is this a welcoming party?" she asked.

"We were going to throw a ticker tape parade, " Celia said with a smirk. "If you'll excuse me I have to finish up some things. Nice to meet you Marcus."

"Nice to meet you too Celia," he replied as she headed off in the direction of her office.

"We're heading to the Yankee game later. Once Marcus gets his head in gear," replied Harvey looking over at his brother and Katrina who had resumed their conversation.

"So you are Harvey's brother," Samantha said to Marcus. "And seeing that he hasn't introduced us yet. I'm Samantha. "

"His manners leave a lot to be desired sometimes," smiled Marcus.

"Oh don't I know it," Samantha said with a laugh.

"I am here you know," Harvey said only to be ignored by them.

"I need to get some paperwork in order, " Katrina said turning to look at Marcus. "Looking forward to seeing the plans for your restaurant."

"First meal is on the house," he smiled as Katrina walked to back to her office.

"Come on, little brother, or the game will be over by the time we get there, " Harvey said patting his brother's back.

\ -oOo -/

Samantha entered the executive kitchen to find Celia seated at the counter reading from a folder with a plate of bagels in front of her.

"Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were in here," Samantha said to her as she closed the door.

Celia looked up from the folder. "I heard there were bagels in here."

"I can leave," Samantha said indicating the door.

"No don't be silly," Celia said closing her folder as the other lawyer sat down beside her.

"So how was your trip to Rochester? I heard you were snowbound," Samantha asked trying to fill the awkward silence between them.

"It was good. I think we've come up with a good plan for the future of the company, " replied Celia picking up another bagel. She tore a piece off and chewed on it while staring into space.

"That's good," replied Samantha looking at the plate. " How many of those have you had?"

"This is my 4th or maybe 5th. Oh God. Please take them away from me!" exclaimed Celia pushing the plate away. "I feel so bloated."

"Think of the calories," Samantha said picking one up.

"I'll just go for a run," Celia said reaching for another one but dropped it back onto the plate. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Maybe you're overcompensating for something else, " replied Samantha.

Celia sighed. "Maybe."

"Well, I am going to have to leave you to your bagels and self loathing," Samantha said looking at her watch.

Celia nodded and looked thoughtful. "Samantha. Do you ever have fantasies?"

The other woman stopped in her tracks and turned to her with a look of surprise. "Fantasies?"

"Yeah...of the...hot sexy dream...kind."

Samantha raised her eyebrows and walked back over to the counter. "Who are you having fantasies about?"

"No one," replied Celia seeing the smirk on Samantha's face.

"Don't give me that Cece. You come back after an unexpected overnight trip and you're having hot dreams about someone. Oh my God is it Richard Franklyn?"

"No! " exclaimed Celia rolling her eyes.

"So if it isn't Richard Franklyn then it must be...that stockbroker guy...Stu, " grinned Samantha. She saw the pink flush on the other woman's face. "Ohh so it is. I'd say go for it!"

"I'm not interested in him that way. He's a nice guy but..."

"Who are you trying to convince? Yourself or me?"

Celia sighed. "After all that shit with Phillip and Joe I'm not sure I want to be even near another man or even think of having a relationship with anyone."

Samantha gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm not good on the romantic advice Cece but if you like him and he likes you then go for it or even see if the real thing is better than the fantasy?" She patted her arm lightly and left the kitchen.

Celia exhaled slowly and reached for another bagel.

\\-oOo -/

Friday

After another busy week Donna sighed as she closed her laptop. It was Halloween and before when she worked for Harvey he let her take Halloween off every year. There was no such luxuries as COO but she was planning on leaving early to get ready for Thomas's Name Launch party that evening. Everything was organized. It was going to be the best party of the year.

"Are you leaving?" Harvey asked coming into her office.

"Yes I am Harvey. The party starts at 7.30. Thomas wants us to get there early. I want to go home first and get all glammed up," she replied picking up her laptop.

"Oh. Well have a good time then, " he replied.

She turned to look at him in surprise. "Are you not going?"

"Late client dinner," he shrugged not really having any other excuse to make up.

She knew there was no such thing but she wasn't going to force him into going. "Ok. See you on Monday then ," she said sashaying past him.

She stopped at Celia's office on the way out who had taken two days off sick due to a bad stomach bug. She thought it may have been food poisoning after she had eaten Chinese take out.

"Glad you are feeling better. Hope to see you later, " Donna smiled leaning against the door of the office.

"I hope so too," Celia said. She was still feeling a bit off but at least she hadn't got her head down the toilet like she had for the last two days. "I've a lot to catch up on. I'm going to have to get ready here."

"Oh please try and make it. I can organize Juan to come here if you want?" Juan was Donna's go to personal stylist.

"Sure," replied Celia with a smile.

"Is Stu picking you up?"

"Didn't plan on it."

"Oh. I just thought since you both spent last weekend together you would have made some arrangements," grinned Donna.

"We didn't spend the weekend together. It was one night in completely separate rooms!" exclaimed Celia rolling her eyes.

"But did anything happen?"

"No! " Celia said before seeing that Donna had her all knowing smirk on her face. "Ok. We almost kissed. That was all!"

"Almost? Maybe if you go tonight something more than almost could happen!

"Donna! " Celia replied in exasperation.

"Ok ok.I'm going! I'll text you later about Juan. See you later," Donna said leaving the office.

Celia leaned back in her chair and stifled a yawn as a feeling of exhaustion came over her.

\\-oOo -/

"Donna, the place looks terrific," Thomas said as they entered the ballroom of the Mandrake Hotel later that evening. The room had been decorated Art Deco style in silver and blue. Two champagne fountains were placed in the center with several high tables on either side. Large crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The lights reflecting off the crystals made the whole place sparkle. Several more tables were situated in front of a large dance Thomas Kessler Designs logo was prominent throughout with a large logo placed on the wall behind the stage.

"It does," Donna replied marvelling at how great the place looked.

"And may I say how beautiful you look?" Thomas said pulling her into his arms.

"You already did 3 times, " she smiled kissing him lightly on the lips. She was wearing a black and silver sequined 20s style dress with a fringed hem that fell just to her knees. The silver sequins radiated from a center point in the middle. A deep v neck showcased her cleavage. Her red hair was parted at one side with soft curly waves.

"I really do appreciate you doing this for me," he whispered as he kissed her cheek. "Thank you. "

"Well if it isn't the man of the hour," Alex said arriving with Rosalie and Samantha.

"Thank you for coming Alex, " replied Thomas as Alex introduced him to Rosalie.

More people started to arrive and Thomas and Donna went to greet them.

\\-oOo -/

"Stu. Thank you so much for coming," Donna said when she saw him standing by the bar. "You look great!"

He gave her a big grin when he saw her. He took in the black and silver dress she wore. "And you look hot...but I probably shouldn't say that... " his head turned towards Thomas who was holding court with a group of people surrounding him.

"All compliments greatly received, " smirked Donna.

"Gangsters and Molls theme for a name launch. That's certainly original," he replied.

"We figured since it was Halloween that we would turn into a costume party, " smiled Donna. "Looks like the gunslinger is back."

He looked down at his attire. "They do say that about stockbrokers," he said giving her a wink. He glanced towards the door. "

Donna saw his look towards the door and knew who he was watching out for. "She's coming from work. She's working late. So how is it going between the two of you?"

"Tough nut to crack," he shrugged.

She placed her hand on his arm. "Don't give up."

"Do you know something? Has she said anything?" he asked curiously .

"I know a lot of things Stu. Don't forget I'm Donna," she grinned .

"Donna. I'd like you to meet some people," Thomas said coming to her side.

"Thomas, this is a friend of mine. Stu Buzzini. Stu, this is Thomas, " Donna said introducing them.

The two men shook hands. "Good to meet you, chief. You're a lucky guy," Stu said.

"Of course he is," Donna said with a wink. "Excuse us!" Thomas laughed and took her by the hand and guided her over to the people he had speaking to earlier.

Stu leaned against the bar with a cocktail in his hand. He smiled at some people he knew and then his eyes were drawn to the door. Celia had just arrived. His heart beat rapidly noticing the dark green and black beaded fringed dress she was wearing. Black beads and feathers embellished the front of the dress Two thin straps criss crossed the back leaving her back exposed. Her hair was styled in waves and it was held in place by a feathered headband around her forehead. Black stilettos completed her look. He noticed her talking and laughing with Samantha and Alex beside her before taking a glass of champagne from a waiter.

"Cece. Glad you could make it," Donna said coming over to her.

"I nearly had to change dresses. This one was fitting a little bit too snug. The amazing Juan worked his magic and now it fits like a glove. I'm going to have to cut down on bingeing on bagels and cheesecake," Celia said. "You look amazing!"

"So do you." smiled Donna. "A little exercise will burn up those extra pounds. Maybe with a certain someone!

"Donna!"

"I just want you to be happy," Donna said. "Like the way Thomas makes me happy."

Celia glanced at her and took in the small look of sadness in her eyes even though she was smiling. "Donna, it would be remiss of me to say. But are you really happy? "

Donna kept the smile fixed on her face. "Of course I am. "

"Then I am happy for you," Celia said.

"Thanks Cece. And if you'll excuse me Thomas is looking for me." She patted her on the arm and as she was walking back over to Thomas she looked back at her friend. "And don't forget about a certain someone."

Celia rolled her eyes and glanced around the room again. She spotted Stu laughing and joking with some people on the other side of the room. Then as if he sensed her he looked across and their eyes made contact. He nodded and raised the glass he had in his hand at her. Her lips formed a small smile as she returned the gesture. She took a sip of the champagne in her glass but grimaced when the bubbles and taste gave her heartburn.

Stu appeared by her side a while later. "I was watching you from across the room."

"Are you stalking me?" she asked turning to look at him.

"Only because I got no one else to stalk lady," he said with a grin.

"Oh my! You've gone full on gunslinger now! " She exclaimed with mock horror.

"I made you laugh though."

"You didn't make me laugh. I was thinking of something funny," she tutted with feigned annoyance.

"I like seeing you laugh, " he said leaning into her. "By the way you look extremely hot tonight."

She rolled her eyes finishing the champagne from the glass in her hand.

"What? Can't a man give you a compliment?" He saw that the band on stage had switched music and were now singing some slow ballad songs. "Would you like to dance?"

She tilted her head as she looked at the couples on the dance floor. Donna and Thomas were dancing extremely close gazing into each other's eyes. "I don't dance."

"Come on. Just one dance. If they start playing the Charleston then we're outta here!" He grabbed her hand before she could object and led her onto the floor.

She became aware of his cologne as he held her close. Both hands entwined as his other hand laid gently on the small of her back. The feeling of his thumb laying against her skin on the exposed back of her dress felt like electricity running through her. She was sure he could feel her heart racing because it seemed that their bodies fit perfectly together. The softness of her breath against his neck made him want to pull her in closer to him. They swayed slowly to the music before she pulled away looking directly in his blue eyes. They both became aware that the music had changed into something more upbeat and glanced awkwardly around them.

"Thanks for the dance Stu," she said walking off the dance floor with him following her. She picked another glass of champagne from a hovering waiter and sat at the nearest table. He sat beside her with his hand finding it's place on the small of her back again. The heat of his hand on her bare skin made her feel flushed. _Although that could just be the champagne she thought. _She turned her body into his and he nuzzled her ear. She directed her gaze to his face looking from his eyes to his lips.

"What do you say we get out of here?" Stu whispered to her.

"But they haven' the speech yet, " she answered enjoying the feeling of being close to him.

"Forget about that. Let's just go," he said with a grin standing up and taking her hand. She smiled as she looked around the room. As she got to her feet she swayed slightly.

"That champagne has gone to my head a bit," she giggled placing her hand on his arm to steady herself.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine. It was the champagne, " she turned to look at him and stroked his chin lightly. "Let's get out of here."

They met Louis and Sheila on the stairs. Sheila was covered from head to toe in multicoloured feathers which didn't hide her huge baby bump.

"Stu!" exclaimed Louis when he saw him. "Good to see you."

"Likewise Louis. We're just getting a bit of fresh air," replied Stu aware that Celia had let go of his hand.

"I don't think you have met my love Sheila," Louis said introducing them to her.

"No we have never met," Celia said. "We've heard so much about you and the baby plans. It must be getting closer now."

"Due around Christmas," Sheila said taking in Celia's attire. "And you must be excited too! "

"Like you wouldn't believe," replied Celia really wondering what the other woman was going on about.

"If you need any advice don't be afraid to ask," smiled Sheila while Louis grinned and took her hand.

"I won't," smiled Celia in complete bewilderment. "Thomas is just about to make his speech."

"Oh good. We got here just in time, " Louis said. "Talk soon Stu."

"What the hell was she going on about?" murmured Celia once they had gone out of earshot and out on to the busy street. Groups of people were dressed up in various costumes as they made their way to Halloween parties.

"Doesn't matter," replied Stu placing his arm around her waist while they waited for a taxi. She lightly ran her hand down the lapel of his jacket while gazing into his eyes.

"I didn't know she was expecting!" Sheila whispered to Louis when they entered the ballroom.

He looked at her with confusion. "Who? Celia? Her husband recently died. Remember I had to go to San Francisco?"

"Oh!" Sheila said with a frown. "This pregnancy is throwing my whole radar out of whack! At the office I'm usually the one who can guess when someone is with child. What must she think of me?"

"Hey, when we get home do you think you could just leave the feathers and high heels on?" Louis said giving her a big grin.

"Just the feathers and high heels it is," she winked.

Louis sucked in a breath at the image in his head of her. "Just the speech and then we go!"

\\-oOo -/

"Thomas. It's time for your speech," Donna said to him after they had greeted Louis and Sheila.

"Oh! That's right!" he smiled. "Would you excuse me please. I have a speech to make!"

The crowd grew silent as he made his way to the microphone on the stage. "Thank you all for coming! This is a new era for me with Thomas Kessler Designs and I know that it will yo from strength to strength and there will be a piece of Thomas Kessler Designs in everyone's homes in the future. I do have a few people to thank for getting me here but I would specially like to thank this beautiful woman, Donna Paulsen, for organizing such a great party."

Everyone politely clapped as Thomas beckoned Donna to join him on the stage. She blushed as she joined him on the podium.

"And I have been thinking about the future. Our future, " Thomas continued turning to look at Donna and taking her hand. "And it has made me realize that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

All Donna could hear was an audible gasp going around the room. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harvey standing by the exit with a complete look of shock on his face.

To be continued


	12. Chapter 12

\\-oOo -/

Katrina stood along with the rest of the audience to give a standing ovation to the beautiful production of the ballet Sleeping Beauty. The dancers on stage took bow after bow as the audience applauded harder. A bouquet of flowers was delivered to the prima ballerina who gracefully accepted them.

Katrina glanced to the empty seat beside her and then looked around the auditorium to see if she knew anyone. She sighed as she picked up the program and placed it in her purse. When she reached the lobby of the theater she checked her phone and noticed that there was a text message.

_"Enjoy the ballet."_

Not recognizing the number she scrolled through her recent contacts but nothing jumped out of her. She decided against sending a text back. Quickly looking around the lobby as people started to file out from the auditorium she noticed a couple of people that were clients of Louis. Marguerite and Jackson Toreance from Toreance Communications. They spotted her standing by the stairs and came over to her.

"Bonjour Katrina. Contente de te fir. C'était une belle production, tu ne crois pas?" Marguerite liked to speak in her native French language. "J'adore le ballet."

"Bonjour Marguerite. Ce fut une belle production," replied Katrina flawlessly. She had studied French as an extra subject while she was in college. "I always loved the ballet. I started taking classes again a couple of months ago."

_"_So you will soon be dancing in Sleeping Beauty," smiled Marguerite

"I don't think I am at that standard yet," Katrina said.

"Would you like to join us for a drink?" Jackson asked.

"I'd love to but I really must get going."

"Bien sûr. Veuillez dire à Louis que nous l'appellerons bientôt," Marguerite replied kissing Katrina on both cheeks.

"Je le ferai bien sûr. Ravie de vous voir tous les deux. Au revoir!" Katrina smiled at the two and taking one last look around the lobby she left.

\\-oOo -/

The entire room went silent waiting for Donna to reply to Thomas. Her mouth opened slightly before she swallowed. If felt like swallowing the biggest lump in her throat. Her mouth went dry as her eyes darted around the room again. She could feel everyone eyes on her. Louis and Sheila stood with their mouths opened. Samantha gave her an encouraging smile. There was no sign of Harvey.

"Obviously I've put you on the spot with this," Thomas said sensing her discomfort. His thumb stroked the fingers of the hand he was holding.

"Yes you have," Donna replied with a tight smile. She didn't want to embarrass him by turning him down. "I'd love to marry you!"

A big smile appeared on Thomas's face as they both turned to their captive audience who applauded. Donna caught Louis's eye who was applauding quite vigorously. Samantha came over to her when she stepped down from the podium.

"Congratulations soon to be Mrs Kessler," Samantha said giving her friend a hug.

"Thank you Samantha," replied Donna. "That definitely was not expected." She looked around the room again but she couldn't see Harvey. _Maybe he left she thought._

"As long as you're happy, " smiled Samantha.

"I am," Donna replied looking over at Thomas who was being congratulated by a group of people. He was grinning from ear to ear and glanced in her direction and gave her a wink. She forced herself to smile at him which he noticed and he frowned.

"She doesn't look very happy," Alex whispered to Rosalie while they waited to speak to the newly engaged couple.

"Why wouldn't she be happy?" asked Rosalie . "She's going to marry one of New York's most eligible bachelors."

"You think they will be happy as us?" smirked Alex.

"No one can be happy as us," Rosalie said with a roll of her eyes. The truth was Alex and Rosalie had been arguing a lot lately. It all started after he confessed to her about the cover up with Masterson Construction and why he didn't tell her for so long. They argued over silly little things. It wasn't like before where they could talk things through. Sometimes they didn't speak for days and usually it was Alex who broke the impasse. Alex found himself staying later than usual at the firm to avoid having another argument with her. They'd always had a fiery relationship but this felt so different.

"Donna we're so happy for you both," Louis said to her giving her a hug. "Thomas is a good man."

"Thanks Louis," smiled Donna. She leaned forward and spoke quietly with him. "Did you see where Harvey went?"

"Harvey wasn't here," replied Louis giving her a puzzled look.

"He was. I saw him standing over by the door," she said indicating the doorway where she had seen Harvey. "Just before Thomas..." Bringing her hand up to her mouth she muttered her apologies to Louis and Sheila before heading towards the exit and onto the street. The cold November air gave her goosebumps and she rubbed her arms to warm herself up. She let out a deep breath when she saw no sign of him.

"Donna? Is everything ok?"

She turned to see Thomas standing behind her. Her brown eyes flashed angrily as she glared at him. "Is everything ok you ask? You couldn't have waited till after the party?"

Thomas moved closer to her aware of the people standing in line waiting for taxis. "We'll discuss this later Donna." He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her back to the party.

\ -oOo -/

_Harvey stood by an exit door of the room watching the party guests mingle and have a good time. He saw Celia and Stu looking very cosy and then leaving together. Louis and Sheila arrived a few minutes later. He wondered what the hell Sheila was wearing. She looked like a big chicken. But Louis looked happy._

_He watched as Thomas took to the podium to make his speech._

_"Thank you all for coming! This is a new era for me with Thomas Kessler Designs and I know that it will yo from strength to strength and there will be a piece of Thomas Kessler Designs in everyone's homes in the future. I do have a few people to thank for getting me here but I would specially like to thank this beautiful woman, Donna Paulsen, for organizing such a great party."_

_Harvey thought Donna looked stunning and saw that she was glowing when she took to the stage with Thomas._

_"And I have been thinking about the future. Our future. And it has made me realize that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"_

_His heart missed a beat when he heard Thomas proposing to her. He felt his throat closing over and suddenly he felt he needed fresh air. He quietly opened the exit door and went through it. He felt clammy but it was cold out. He loosened his tie and took some deep breaths before hailing a taxi back to the firm._

Harvey stood staring out his window after he got back from the party. A glass of scotch remained untouched in his hand as he blankly stared at the Manhattan skyline which usually gave him great pleasure. He didn't know what made him go to the party but he wished he hadn't and he certainly wasn't going to hang around to watch Donna accept another man's proposal of marriage. He raised the glass to his lips and drank it all in one gulp. He grimaced slightly as the amber liquid slightly burned on the way down. He poured himself another glass and knocked that back in one gulp too. It seemed like he was going to be drinking his pain away before he looked at the glass in his hand and flung it across the room.

\\-oOo -/

"You haven't spoken since we left," Thomas said to Donna upon returning to her apartment. She silently went to her bedroom to change out of her dress. Thomas stood in the living room by the couch and watched her go. He knew she was angry for springing the proposal on her like that but didn't think she would have reacted the way she did. He pushed his fingers through his black hair not sure whether he should go or not. He surprised himself by proposing to her but the timing seemed right. He had also seen Harvey watching by the door and felt it is as a way of getting one over on him. He wasn't usually that petty but he felt a pang of jealousy when he saw him.

"Donna?" He called walking over to the bedroom door and knocking on it.

She pulled open the door wearing her grey sweatpants and sweater. "Yes Thomas I am still angry!"

"I get why you are upset Donna but can we at least talk about it!"

"How could you do something like that?"

"I thought it was a good idea at the time. Now I 'm thinking it's not!" he replied lowering his head.

"Thomas," Donna said taking his hand. "We haven't even been seeing each other that long. We haven't even met each other's parents yet!"

"You want to meet my parents? I can arrange that," Thomas said with a chuckle. "Look. I know we haven't been dating long but it felt right."

Donna smiled at him feeling sorry that she was being so hard on him. "Jim and Clara Paulsen are going to be very surprised."

"Does that mean...?" He looked hopeful.

"I need time to think about it Thomas," she replied squeezing his hand.

"Ok. I'll give you time. No pressure," he smiled lightly kissing her on the lips.

"Thanks," she said running her hand up his arm.

"I should get going," he reluctantly said sensing that she would want him to go.

"Dinner tomorrow night?" she asked.

"I'd like that," he replied. "And thank you for organizing the launch party."

"It was my pleasure," she smiled walking him towards the door. He gently kissed her again and left.

Donna closed the door and leaned her head against it with her eyes closed. This was something she was going to have to think seriously about.

\\-oOo -/

Celia groaned quietly as her eyes adjusted to the morning light streaming in to her bedroom. Her head throbbed as she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Last thing she remembered was dancing with Stu at the party. Her memory was a little fuzzy after that.

_"Shit," she thought. "I made a fool of myself." _

She quickly looked to the other side of the bed and saw that it hadn't been slept in and noticed that her dress was lying on the chair. She rubbed her eyes again and realized that she had her Harvard shirt on.

A loud bang somewhere in her apartment made her jump. Was there someone in her apartment? With her heart beating loudly in her ears she quietly climbed out of her bed and grabbed her hockey stick which was lying against her dresser. She peeked through the beaded curtains into her living room but didn't see anything unusual. The sound of one of her cupboards closing made her jump and she ran out with a roar and her hockey stick raised. She stopped suddenly when she saw Stu standing in the middle of her kitchen in a shirt and boxer shorts. His eyes opened with shock when he saw her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

"You fell asleep in the cab. So I stayed to make sure you were all right," he explained keeping his eye on the hockey stick which she still had up in the air. "Can you put that thing down? It's making me nervous!"

She glanced at the stick and lowered it but held onto it. "You didn't need to stay! "

"You were pretty tipsy so I stayed." He looked at the hockey stick again. "But it looks like you are capable of looking after yourself."

"I was not tipsy," Celia huffed in annoyance.

He raised his eyebrows with amusement and smirked. "I don't know how many glasses of champagne you had but yes you were!"

Celia looked back at her bedroom and then back at Stu with a sudden realization. "How did I get to bed? We didn't...?"

"No we didn't Cece. I slept on the couch," he said.

"Oh," she replied not sure how she felt about that. "I see."

"You sound almost disappointed," he said with a smirk.

"Relieved actually." She looked down at her Tshirt and suddenly felt very exposed standing in front of him. "What if I had been naked when I came out here?"

"I would have been a gentleman and kept my eyes closed. But what would you have done if I was naked when you came in here wielding your...death stick?"

"It doesn't bare thinking about," she smirked placing her hockey stick next to the wall.

"So what do you say I take you out for breakfast? It's Saturday. We could take a stroll down to the Highline..."

Celia felt her tummy rumble and realized that she actually was hungry. "Breakfast! I'm starving."

"Ok. Then go get ready," he said with a grin. He leaned against the counter top with his cup of coffee.

\\-oOo -/

"You realize that this is the second weekend in a row that we've spent together," Stu said with a grin after they had ordered breakfast in the little cafe down the street from Celia's building.

"I wouldn't call it spending the weekend together," Celia replied with a raise of her eyebrows.

"People are gonna start talking," he replied .

"People always talk."

His eyes widened when the waitress brought them their orders. Celia had ordered the pancake stack which was a pile of about five large pancakes covered in bacon and maple syrup. There was enough to feed five people in it.

"Hungry much?" he asked with amusement watching her tuck in. "Aren't you worried about the calories?"

"Some exercise will burn them right off," she answered. She saw the look of surprise on his face. "By going running!"

"I never would have thought anything else," Stu said

"Yes you did," she grinned. They stared at each other for a few moments before Celia's cellphone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and her eyes shot up in surprise when she read the text.

"Holy shit! It's a text from Louis. Thomas proposed to Donna at the party last night! She said yes!"

"Wow! That's incredible. They're not going out that long either," replied Stu.

"A couple of months."

"I guess some people know what they want and go for it," Stu said felling a little frustrated over the lack of development with Celia.

She glanced at him as she put her phone away knowing that he was talking about them but still wasn't sure what she wanted. She enjoyed his company and one thing was certain. They had some sort of pull towards each other. She knew that if she had not fallen asleep in the cab on the way home the night before they would have ended up in bed together. "So you wanted to go for a walk on the Highline?"

"Whenever you are ready!" he grinned

\\-oOo -/

"You never married?" Celia asked him as they walked through the Highline gardens.

The Highline was an old elevated railroad track which had been converted into a beautiful recreational space with lots of natural plants and sound of the Saturday morning traffic on the streets below sounded muffled. People walked or ran along the wooden pathway. A Tai Chi session was in progress on the plaza and a yoga group was just finishing up the opposite side. Celia preferred the Highline to Central Park for it's sheer natural beauty and sustainability policy. It was freezing cold and they could see their breaths coming from their mouths.

"I was engaged once," replied Stu.

"Was? What happened?"

"Four years ago. The wedding date had been set. Came home from work early one day and found Lauren in bed with one of our colleagues," Stu said lowering his head.

"I'm sorry," she replied.

"It took me a long time to get over it. That feeling of betrayal just sat with me until I realized I was the only one hurting myself, " he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I know a thing or two about feeling betrayed," Celia said stopping to admire a piece of art on the boardwalk.

He looked at her. "Is that what happened with you and your husband?"

"I don't wanna talk about it, " she replied shaking her head. She walked a bit ahead of him and then stopped to take in the beautiful floral arrangements in the park.

Stu followed her to where she had stopped. "Why are you shutting me out?"

She turned to look at him. "I said I didn't want to talk about it. How is that shutting you out?"

"Whether or not you want to admit it we have a connection. We have a spark."

"Stu, we work together. It would get complicated and we're still not on the same page about Boylston!"

"Forget about all that for a minute," he exclaimed. "We can deal with that later!"

"We can't deal with that later Stu. Sooner or later a decision will have to be made on this and no one is going to be happy about it!"

He let out a deep sigh. "We don't have to let it come between us Cece."

She folded her arms and glanced over at the flowers and then back at him. "So?"

He looked puzzled for a moment before noticing the small smile that played on her lips. "So?"

"What do we do about this spark you think we have?" she asked biting her lower lip.

"I'd like to do this," he smiled reaching for her hand. They interlocked fingers and he ran his thumb over hers.

"You want to hold hands?" Celia asked in amusement enjoying the feel of his hand in hers.

"Hold hands, make love," he whispered pulling her in closer to him. His hand holding onto her waist while her hand gripped his forearm. Her breath deepened as his other hand caressed her cheek and he ran his finger over her lip. It seemed like a natural thing to do when he leaned in and gently kissed her. Softly at first but then deepening as her hand circled his neck and up through his dark hair. The feel of his lips on hers gave her goosebumps all over. They were oblivious to the fact that people stared at them as they walked past them.

The sound of her cell phone going off in her pocket made her sigh and break off from their kiss. She took it out and saw on the screen that it was the private investigator. "I'm going to have to take this," she smiled reluctantly letting go of his hand.

"Harry, what you got?" she asked looking back and smiling at Stu.

"Sorry to disturb your Saturday morning Celia but I got an address for NYC Law Services. I'm heading there now to check it out. I can meet you there if you want," Harry said down the phone.

"Oh ok. Text me the address and I'll see you soon," replied Celia hanging up the phone.

"What is it?" Stu asked.

"Harry got an address for that law firm," she replied.

"You want to go?" he asked knowing that she would probably want to go.

"I don't have to," she smiled placing her hand on his chest smiling as she gazed into his dark blue eyes. "Besides we were in the middle of something."

He kissed her lightly on the lips. "It can wait. This is more important."

"Do you want to come on an adventure with me then?" she grinned.

"I'm beginning to think every day with you will be an adventure," he whispered taking her by the hand.

"I'll drive," she said as they headed out of the park.

\\-oOo -/

"Nice car," Stu nodded approvingly after she had taken her silver Porsche out of the garage beside her building.

"It was my treat to myself when I signed Boylston," she said. "I don't get to drive it that much."

"Where is this place?" he asked.

"Near Rockaway," replied Celia.

"I don't get it. Why would a law firm in Queens try to poach your clients?" asked Stu.

"That's the $100 million question. We've had this happen before. But we usually found out who it was but this time Harry hasn't been able to find out. The address is the only clue we've had so far. Hopefully something will turn up there."

The two went silent as she drove to the address that Harry had given her. Each lost in their own thoughts. Every so often Celia's hand would brush against his.

"We're going to have to talk about us eventually," Stu said.

"I know," she smiled as he took her hand in his. "We'll get this out of the way first."

She turned onto the street address which was close to Rockaway Beach. "This must be it," she said pulling into the parking lot of a strip mall. It looked abandoned and some units were boarded up with planks of wood.

"Strange place to have a law firm," Stu said as they got out of the car. Spotting Harry, the PI, they walked over to him.

"I just arrived," Harry said. "It's just over here."

All three walked to a doorway between the pharmacy and the hardware store. A To Let sign hung over the door.

Celia checked the names on a panel on the side wall but there was none for NYC Law Services. "Are you sure this is the place?"

Harry pulled open the door and the three went up the dark stairs to a dimly lit hallway with a row of doors with frosted glass windows.

"Number 4a," Harry said reading from the piece of paper in his hand.

"This is the one," replied Celia standing outside the last door. She jiggled the door handle and it opened.

"Stay behind me," Harry said withdrawing a gun from his office inside jacket. Celia's eyes widened when she saw the weapon but she and Stu remained behind him as they followed him inside.

"There's nothing here," exclaimed Celia glancing around the room. The only thing in it was a dirty brown carpet.

"It's been cleared out," Stu said looking out the window down to the parking lot.

"Or else this is just a front," replied Harry taking his phone out and dialling a number.

"I gotta call Louis," Celia said suddenly feeling the need to get some fresh air. Stu glanced at her and saw that the roseyness in her cheeks had been replaced by a white pallor. She pushed past him and ran down the stairs to get to the outside. She took some deep gulps of air while she leaned against the wall. Stu followed her out.

"Everything ok?"

"The night before catching up with me," she smiled.

"I have a secret hangover cure," he whispered leaning into her.

"Oh yeah?" she smirked lightly running a finger across his stubbly chin. "What's that?"

Whatever Stu was going to say was interrupted by Harry coming out to join them. "My contact said that there was some activity around here in the last couple of days. But that it was put back up for lease this morning."

"Do we at least have a name?" Celia asked.

"A woman called Pamela Brockton leased the premises."

"Pamela Brockton?" Celia said looking puzzled. "Never heard of her."

"Could be an alias?" Stu surmised.

"I called the manager of this complex but he wasn't very forthcoming with information. Said it was confidential," replied Harry.

Celia folded her arms and looked out across the parking lot. She noticed a CCTV camera on a light pole pointing towards them. "Harry, is there any chance you could get access to that camera. Whoever this Pamela Brockton is would be caught on camera. If you have to get a court order to do it that won't be a problem. I can get a judge to authorize it at short notice."

"Might take a couple of days Celia but I can do it. If you could get that court order this evening it might speed things up," Harry said.

Celia looked at Stu who shrugged his shoulders. "I can do that."

\\-oOo -/

Katrina walked back from the grocery store with a paper bag of her purchases in her arms. Feeling that someone was watching her she quickly scanned up and down the street in Greenwich Village where she lived. Not noticing anything unusual she let out a short breath. This whole secret admirer business was very unnerving. The flowers, chocolates and the ballet tickets were obviously from someone who knew her. She decided she was going to have to get the phone number tracked. That might be the way to uncover the mystery. She pulled open the door to her building and opened her post box. A large brown envelope was the only thing inside. Taking it out Katrina noticed that it said Private and Confidential written on it. Searching for her apartment keys as she climbed the stairs to her one bedroom apartment she found them in the bottom of her purse. She placed the groceries on the kitchen table and tore open the envelope.

She gasped when the contents dropped on the floor.

They were photos of her. All taken in the last week. Outside her apartment. In the downstairs lobby of the were even photos of her at the ballet the night before.

_To be continued_


	13. Chapter 13

\\-oOo -/

_"Flight 407 to New York now boarding at Gate 43."_

Mike Ross heard the boarding call for their midnight flight from Seattle to New York and looked around for his wife in the departures area of the busy SeaTac airport. No doubt she was still in the bookstore where he had left her 20 minutes ago. He spotted her over by the self help section. "Rach, our flight is boarding. We gotta go."

"I just have to pay for these," replied Rachel picking one last book off the book shelf.

"What have you got there anyway? I thought you already bought them gifts?" Mike asked checking out the book titles in her hand.

"This one is for Harvey," Rachel said with a smirk placing the book on the counter.

"_You are a badass every day; How to keep your motivation strong, your vibe high and your quest for transformation unstoppable," _Mike sniggered as he read the title. "Harvey doesn't need a self help book on how to be a badass Rach! A bottle of Macallen would have been just as useful."

"The key is transformation Mike," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I got him a bottle of Macallen as well as Puget Sound Whiskey."

"_Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids - How to stop yelling and start connecting_. I would hazard a guess that this one is for Louis."

"Yep. It might also give him tips on how to manage those unruly partners of his," grinned Rachel. "I got Donna the 3rd edition of The Complete Works of Shakespeare."

"_The Miracle Morning," _Mike said helping her put the books into her carry on holdall.

"That one is for Celia," replied Rachel.

"Good selection," Mike said. "None for Samantha?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "I know Dad was her mentor but I never felt a connection with her."

"Plenty of time to connect with her at the firm retreat this weekend," Mike said as they walked through the boarding gate after showing their passes to the flight attendant.

"I'm so glad we decided to go earlier. They will be so surprised to see us!" Rachel said settling into her seat as Mike stowed their carry ons in the overhead compartment.

"It's good to get away. The firm will be in capable hands while we're in New York," Mike said actually feeling happy that they could take a week off together. The firm of Ross/Zane/Forsyth had been going from strength to strength in Seattle. They had taken on some big high profile cases which allowed them to move to a new premises and take on new associates.

Mike glanced at his wife and saw that she had that wistful look on her face that he had seen plenty of times since their move to Seattle. He took her hand and squeezed it. "We made the right decision."

She let out a small sigh without looking at him. "I know."

\\-oOo -/

"Cheesecake at 9am?" Donna said to Celia when she saw her in the associate's kitchen on Monday morning.

"I've been here since 7am trying to make sense of this whole NYC Law Services thing. This is practically lunch time for me," replied Celia smiling at the redhead. "And I heard a certain someone got proposed too on Friday night!"

"I told Thomas I would think about it," Donna said sitting down beside her.

"What's to think about Donna? He's hot and good marriage material," replied Celia between mouthfuls of cheesecake.

"Marriage is not something I want to rush into," admitted Donna.

"Unlike me you mean," replied Celia rolling her eyes.

"I didn't mean it that way," Donna said patting her arm. "So I heard you left with Stu the other night! How did that go?"

"Nothing happened. Well apart from a kiss but then the PI called about NYC Law Services..."

"Wow! Talk about your bad timing," smiled Donna.

"Yeah!"

"So how was it?"

Celia smiled at the other woman. "It was good."

"Really? So good that you'd want to take it further good? Or just good but no thanks? "

"Soo good," Celia said with a wink.

"Ooh. So when are you seeing him again?"

"He's out of town till tomorrow. So I guess at the meeting at Boylston," replied Celia. "What time are Mike and Rachel coming in at tomorrow?"

"They're getting the red eye from Seattle tonight. Ray is picking them up at the airport and bringing them to the firm. They should be here around 9am."

"There you both are!"

They both turned to see Louis and Esther at the door. "I haven't forgotten our meeting Esther," smiled Celia standing up. "I was just, um, having breakfast!"

"That's what I called it when I found myself having pickles with ice cream at 3am," replied Esther with a smile.

Celia gave her a puzzled look. "Sounds delightful! How are Steve and Janine getting on now?"

"Great!" exclaimed Esther. "It's like a happy place now."

"Just as long as you all remember the techniques," smiled Celia. "Louis, I'll have a report on LA Law Services at the partner meeting tomorrow. The PI hopefully will have information on the CCTV by then."

"Let's hope so," replied Louis as Celia and Esther left the kitchen to go to the conference room.

Louis turned to Donna with a huge smile. "So have you gotten used to being an engaged woman yet?"

"I told him I would think about it," Donna said with a small sigh.

"Oh! Is that because you didn't tell Harvey yet?"

"No Louis. It's because I haven't thought about it yet!" exclaimed Donna. "I just wish he hadn't done it in front of the entire room."

"Thomas is a good man Donna."

"I know Louis," Donna smiled patting his arm as she left the room.

"Louis, do you have a minute?" Katrina asked coming into the kitchen. She was carrying the envelope that had the photos in it.

"Anytime for you Katrina. How was the ballet the other night?"

"It was lovely Louis," she replied. "Remember those flowers I received a couple of weeks ago?"

"The beautiful red roses. Yes I do," Louis said opening the fridge and taking out a prunie.

"I think I have a stalker Louis. I've been getting unknown phone number calls and the other night I received these." Katrina handed him the envelope.

He pulled the photos out and took in a deep breath. "What the fuck? Katrina. You need to go to report this to the police."

"I didn't want to at first as I thought it was Brian but this isn't something he would do Louis. It's was annoying at first and thought if I ignored the situation it would go away but after this it's really unnerved me." Katrina was on the verge of tears as she spoke.

Louis sat her down at the table and took her hand. "We're going to the precinct right now to report this!"

"Thanks Louis," sniffed Katrina wiping the moisture from her eyes.

\\-oOo -/

"Thanks so much for everything Cece," Esther smiled when they had finished their meeting.

"You're welcome and don't be afraid to ask for help," replied Celia. "I'm only a phone call away. We must have another girl's night out soon."

"Yes we will have to arrange that but I imagine you won't be drinking at this one, " Esther replied patting her arm.

"I've been thinking about cutting down on my alcohol consumption. It must be my age. Sometimes the hangovers aren't worth it, " Celia said rolling her eyes.

Esther glanced at the other woman. "I know what you mean! Are you looking forward to the firm retreat?"

"Should be fun!"

"I just need to go see Louis," Esther said. "Thanks again for everything."

Celia smiled at her as she left the room. A feeling of exhaustion came over her and she sat down in her chair and took some deep breaths. Opening her schedule on her laptop she looked for a time that would suit her to visit her doctor. She still wasn't sleeping right. Maybe the doctor would prescribe sleeping tablets or something. A fleeting thought entered her mind before she noticed that it would be her and Phillip's first wedding anniversary soon.

_"This is my past. You are my future."_

She swivelled her chair around to face the widow and gazed out at the New York skyline as she remembered their wedding day. It hadn't exactly been her dream wedding. Getting married on a whim in Vegas. Everything turned to shit after that.

_"Do you Phillip Thomas Hollingsworth take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the Celebrant asked Phillip. Celia had been disappointed that he wasn't dressed like Elvis!_

_Phillip smiled at her. "I do!"_

_"And do you Celia Catherine Laurence take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"_

_"I do," she replied with a nervous giggle._

_"With the power invested in me by the state of Nevada I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," smiled the celebrant._

_Phillip took her face in his hands and kissed her lips hard._

\\-oOo -/

"Gretchen, I was looking for Louis," Esther said meeting her in the hallway.

"Louis and Katrina had an appointment. He said he would call you later," replied Gretchen.

"Oh ok. Thanks," Esther said with a smile. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"Celia. Is she, you know? " whispered Esther feeling a little awkward asking the question that she really wanted to know.

The other woman glanced towards Celia's office and then back at Esther. "I think so, but she hasn't said anything. I figured she would but she hasn't."

"Maybe she's not telling anyone yet," smiled Esther. "Tell Louis sorry I missed him."

"I will," replied Gretchen heading back to Louis's office.

Esther stood at the elevator deep in thought when she heard the elevator ding and saw Harvey stepping out of it. She forced herself to smile when she saw him.

"Good morning Esther," he said seeing her in the lobby.

"Harvey," she replied stepping into the vacant elevator.

"Esther, I've been wanting to apologise to you for a long time for my behavior that time. The last thing I wanted to do was upset you," Harvey said placing his hand against the door to stop it from closing.

"Thank you Harvey. That means a lot," she replied giving him a genuine smile.

"I wasn't in a good place back then," he said.

"Hope you are now," she said.

He nodded and let the door close. "I am."

He stood by the elevator looking at the signage when he heard it ding.

"Well if it isn't the old man!"

The familiar voice made him turn to see Mike and Rachel getting off the elevator.

"Mike? Rachel? What are you both doing here? You're not supposed to be here till tomorrow!" Harvey exclaimed in surprise.

"It is tomorrow! Didn't you get the memo?" Mike said with a twinkle in his eye.

Harvey grinned. "Nope no memos. No phone calls. No emails. You just ran off to Seattle as fast as your little legs could carry you!"

"It's good to see you man," Mike said pulling him into a manly hug.

"Enough with the back slaps. I want a hug too," Rachel said as the two men dragged her into a hug as well.

"We got an earlier flight," Mike said. He looked around the lobby of the firm and grinned when he noticed the signage. "Looks like things don't change around here. New names on the wall."

"If you ever want to come back here we can put your name up there too," grinned Harvey.

"You think the partners would allow an ex convict fraud up there?" laughed Rachel.

"Stranger things have happened," Mike said with a wry grin.

"Is Donna here? I can't wait to see her!" Rachel said excitedly. "I'll go see her now!"

"I need to go see Celia," Mike said. "Have to give her some news she's not going to like."

"About the houseboat sale?" Harvey asked.

"Yep. Catch up with you later old man," Mike said slapping Harvey on the back.

"Hey. Less of the old man!" exclaimed Harvey rolling his eyes. "Dinner later?"

"We would love too," smiled Mike.

\\-oOo -/

"Knock, Knock," Rachel whispered tapping lightly on the door to Donna's office. The redhead turned around with a look of surprise on her face.

"Oh my God! Rachel. What are you doing here? Did we get the dates mixed up?" she exclaimed.

"No! We decided to come out earlier," smiled Rachel as the two friends hugged.

"I'm so glad you did!" exclaimed Donna. "I missed you. Facetime is not the same as seeing you in person."

"I know, you're right. It's not," sighed Rachel sitting herself on the window seat. "So tell me all about this new man of yours!"

"Why don't Harriet Specter and Michelle Ross go out tonight? We can get Celia and Katrina to come as well."

"I'd love that but I would rather it was just the two of us. There will be plenty of time for us all to go out together. Plus we're all spending two days together at Dad's place," replied Rachel giving Donna a small smile. "Let's just have a night in at your place. We can have a few glasses of wine and order from the shitty Thai place."

Donna sensed that Rachel wanted to talk to her alone about Thomas and she really wanted to get her take on the whole proposal issue. "That's an even better idea."

"Great. I'll meet you at your place at 8. I'm going home to have a nap. I didn't get much sleep on the plane."

\\-oOo -/

"Hey Judge Judy," Mike said with a smile as he stepped into Celia's office.

"If it isn't the convict," grinned Celia getting up from her desk and walking over to hug him.

"Still can't believe you are back in the big bad world of corporate law!" he said with a smile when they pulled out of their hug.

"I know," she grinned. "Mike, I wanted to thank you for taking care of that little matter."

"No problemo Cece. That's actually why I am here. There was an offer put on the houseboat yesterday."

Celia glanced at him surprised that there had been an offer as the houseboat had been on the market since she left San Francisco. "Really?"

"They offered $750,000. I know it's considerably less than the asking price but the real estate market is taking a bashing these days," replied Mike.

"It's considerably less than what it was bought for too," sighed Celia .

"I know. So the question is do you want to accept it or wait for another offer? The buyers are willing to pay cash for it.," explained Mike.

"What do you think I should do?"

"I know how much you want to sell it. The other option is renting it out."

"Renting it out isn't an option really. I'm still tied to it."

"This is what I would do Cece. You wanted a quick sale so take the offer. You will be losing money on it but at least it is off your hands."

"I guess so," mused Celia. She let out a sigh as she thought about it for a moment. "Ok."

"Another question is what are you going to do with the contents?"

"The contents? I hadn't it given much thought. Looks like I'm going to have to call Phillip's mom. She really hates me," Celia said rolling her eyes.

"Good luck with that," smiled Mike. "I'll let the buyer know."

\\-oOo -/

"Rachel is at Donna's tonight so it's just me and you," Mike said pouring a scotch for himself at Harvey's apartment. He settled himself into one of the black leather chairs beside the blazing fire.

"Just like old times amigo," grinned Harvey sitting on the couch opposite him.

"Batman and Robin reunited," chuckled Mike.

"When are you coming back to New York?" Harvey asked with a sly smile.

"Oh. We're kinda settled in Seattle. The firm is going great. We have 5 class action cases going at the moment."

Harvey regarded the younger man in front of him. Part of him felt jealous that it was working out for them. The other part of him was extremely proud of his former protege. "That's terrific. But there will always be a job for you at the firm. You know that."

"I do know that Harvey and I am very grateful. You gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, " replied Mike drinking his scotch.

"Even if you did go to prison for me," Harvey said.

"Yeah I know. And if I had to do it all over again. I wouldn't change a goddamn thing."

Harvey took a sip of the amber liquid from his glass. "Neither would I."

"And you know if you ever want a change from corporate law in New York we could always do with another associate in Seattle," smirked Mike.

"You gotta be kidding me," Harvey said rolling his eyes.

"Ok, you drive a hard bargain. Junior Partner."

"No thanks," Harvey grinned.

Mike put his glass down on the side table beside him. "Actually we have an ulterior motive for coming back to New York earlier."

"You want me to be Godfather to your baby," smirked Harvey but noticed the change in Mike's demeanor as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"No! As a matter of fact we are putting a pause on that for the time being. The main reason we returned earlier is that we have a potential class action and we wanted to give the firm first refusal to collaborate on it before we took it to Nathan and Oliver at the clinic."

"What kind of class action? Saving the spotted owls?" Harvey asked with some wariness remembering the prison case that almost cost them their friendship because of Mike's refusal to drop it.

"The kind that would make headlines for all the right reasons, " smiled Mike.

"Ohh so you are looking to help more damsels in distress!"

"It's the type of case that will help a whole group of people live better lives."

" Cut the bullshit Mike. What's the case?"

"The town of Brompton vs Aster Solutions."

" Mike, Aster Solutions is one of our clients. We couldn't take the case even if we wanted to. In fact you would be going up against the firm! "

"I know but couldn't you drop Aster Solutions. Tell old man Aster that you don't agree with their policies?"

"We have an ironclad contract with them. Cece practically had to blackmail them to stay with us, " replied Harvey.

"Ok. Guess I will take it to the clinic and see you in court," Mike said with a smirk.

The other man let out a sigh. "Before you do that let me bring it up at the partner meeting tomorrow. See what the other partners think."

"Ok Harvey. But I would like to attend the meeting too. I want the partners to have the full facts first, " said Mike picking his glass up again.

"You got it," nodded Harvey.

\\-oOo -/

"So this new man of yours," Rachel said holding a glass of wine curling her feet under her on Donna's sofa.

"He's asked me to marry him," revealed the redhead sitting down beside her.

Rachel's eyes widened and her moth opened. "Oh My God. What did you say? Did you tell Harvey?"

"I told him I would think about it. And I haven't discussed it with Harvey," sighed Donna .

"So kissing him last year led to nothing? I thought for sure something would have happened at our wedding."

"He said he didn't want any more Rachel. I have to move on with my life. I can't wait around hoping he'll come to his senses," replied Donna trying to convince herself more than anything else.

"I get that I do Donna but... " Rachel saw the look on Donna's face and decided to drop the subject. "So are you going to say yes to Thomas?"

"I'm considering it. He's a wonderful man. You will have to meet him when you're here."

"I can't wait to meet him, grinned Rachel. She took a sip of wine and settled back on the sofa.

Donna noticed she had a pensive look on her face. "What's going on with you?"

"It's nothing, " Rachel replied leaning her head on her hand. "" Everything in Seattle is great. We've built a life there. It's just...Mike and I have been trying for a baby."

"That's huge!" exclaimed Donna.

"It hasn't happened yet. We've gone from having sex like bunnies to only doing it on schedule. It's put a strain on our marriage. Last month I was a week late and I was so excited but then I got my period. And then Mike decided that he didn't want to keep trying because we were still building the firm. He refuses to discuss it and won't even consider trying other options."

"It will happen for you Rachel. I know it will," smiled the redhead patting her friend on the arm. "And I know because I am Donna."

\\-oOo -/

The next morning the partners gathered in the conference room for their weekly meeting. They were all seated at the table and had just started when Celia arrived late.

"Nice of you to join us," Samantha said with a roll of her eyes.

"I was here till 2am working on the NYC Law Services report," replied Celia.

"What have you got on that?" Louis asked.

"I'm waiting on a call from the Investigator. He got access to the CCTV yesterday and was running it through a program for identification purposes, " replied Celia pushing the report over to Louis.

"So basically someone was stealing your clients and opened a law firm that looks like a front?" Mike asked.

"That's it," Celia said. She had a splitting headache and her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults.

"Good work Cece," Louis said opening the folder in front of him. "I guess we will just have to wait for your investigator to call. Moving on. Mike. Welcome back. You have something for us I believe?"

"Yes! The town of Brompton have been experiencing depreciating value of their homes due to pyrite damage. The company that built them are not taking responsibility for the pyrite."

"What's pyrite?" Donna asked.

"It's a material used in construction but was banned once the damage caused by it would became known. A chemical reaction can cause it to swell resulting in cracks, crumbling walls in people's homes. The problem can be fixed but it is very costly to do. Other companies have taken responsibility for remediation but the company thatbuilt the houses are refusing to," explained Mike.

"So you are looking to collaborate on a class action," Samantha said.

"The only problem is the company in question is Aster Solutions," Harvey said.

Celia looked over at Harvey in surprise. "I only re-signed them."

"I know Celia but if we don't take this case it means that we will be going up against Mike and the clinic."

Celia shrugged her shoulders. The movement making her feel more nauseous. "Ok."

"I move that we take a vote for removing Aster Solutions from our client list. I know we only just signed them but we can tell them we did a review and there is a conflict of interest, " Louis said.

The other partners nodded and began voting. Celia's cellphone went off and she excused herself to go outside to take the call.

"Ok the votes are in. Majority calls for removing Aster Solutions from our client list..." Louis started to say before being interrupted by Celia coming back into the room.

"You guys are not going to believe this!" she exclaimed.

"What is it Cece?" Harvey asked.

"Harry went through the CCTV but he couldn't get an accurate description. A woman named Pamela Brockton had leased the place but there is no record of anyone with that name. Then he... "

"Cliff notes Celia," Louis said impatiently .

"He ran the car number plate through the DMV and it is registered to Jack Soloff!"

"Jack Soloff?" questioned Harvey. "I thought we were done with that douche."

" Harvey, I want you to go to him.. " Louis turned to him but Harvey was already out of his chair.

"Mike. Batman needs Robin," he said turning to his former associate.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Mike. " Butch and Sundance are back on the case!"

"Good work Celia," Louis said turning to her as the two left the room. She stood rooted in the middle of the floor. All the partners turned to look at her and gasped as she collapsed to the floor.

\\-oOo -/

"I'm fine. I just forgot to eat this morning, " Celia said as Louis and Donna helped her to a chair.

"Have you been to the doctor yet?" Donna asked just as Gretchen came over to her with a glass of water.

"I haven't had time to go, "replied Celia taking the glass from Gretchen.

"You haven't been well for weeks Cece," Donna said.

"And you fainted a couple of weeks ago," Alex added ignoring the look he got from her.

"Is this true?" asked Louis as Celia weakly nodded her head. "Then this is what you are going to do. You are going to the clinic on the 30th floor and you are not to return to work until you get a full bill of health. I am also not going to allow you to go to the firm retreat at the weekend."

"I have a meeting with Boylston after this, " Celia said.

"That doesn't matter. You can cancel or send someone else because like I said you are suspended until you go to the clinic," Louis said in a stern tone.

"Ok! I'll go!"

"I'll take you down," Louis said helping her up as she protested saying that she could go by herself.

As the two left the room Gretchen and Donna eyed each other while the rest of the partners left the room. "If no one is going to say it then I will. That girl is pregnant," Gretchen said.

"Oh my God! It adds up! How did I not know?" Donna said with wide eyes.

\\-oOo -/

Celia sat in the plush waiting room of the exclusive health clinic situated on the 30th floor below Specter Litt Wheeler Williams. She had eventually persuaded Louis to leave her at the elevator. She glanced around the waiting room. It didn't look like a doctor's office. The receptionist who was seated behind a glass partition answered each phone call with a cheery greeting. The room had comfy cream coloured chairs and the magazines and newspapers fanned out on the table in front of her were the sort of publishing material that wealthy people would read. Tatler. Forbes. The Wall Street Journal. Soothing music played through hidden speakers which get a bit irritating after a while. She wondered how the receptionist could stand listening to it all day. She picked up a copy of Horse and Home and idly flipped through it before sighing to herself and replacing it back on the table. A brochure that listed the services that the clinic provided also lay on the table. She picked it up before sitting back in the chair with the brochure on her lap.

"Celia Laurence?" a voice said. Celia turned to see a young female Dr standing by an open door.

"I'm Dr Drake."

"I'm just so tired all the time, " Celia finished explaining to the doctor sitting in front of her.

"You've been under a lot of stress lately," replied the doctor with a smile.

"Tell me I am not going mad," sighed Celia .

"I do want to run some tests though," she noticed the look of panic on her face. "Just to rule out some things."

Celia took a deep breath and said, "Ok."

"When was your last period?" the doctor asked.

Celia looked at her in surprise. She really couldn't remember when she had it last. She knew she'd had it when she and Donna went shopping for dresses for the Law Society ball but that seemed like months ago. "Um. I'm not sure. I guess I just lost track of it with everything going on. You don't think it's the start of the menopause do you? I'm only 40!"

"We won't know until I take a blood test," the doctor leaned forward in her chair. "Is there a possibility that you might be pregnant?"

Celia 's eyes grew wide. "No. Of course not."

Dr Drake reached in to a drawer behind her and pulled out a box and handed it to her. "You just have to pee on the stick. The bathroom is through there." She indicated a room to the side.

Celia glanced at her and shook her head slightly as she made her way to the bathroom.

A couple of minutes later she came back out and handed the stick to the doctor. She hadn't even waited to see the results herself.

"This is a very accurate pregnancy test. It takes 5 minutes," the doctor said with a smile.

"I'm not pregnant," Celia said.

The doctor looked at the stick and noticed that the line had turned blue. "Celia, the test shows that you are!"

She stared at the other woman unable to comprehend what she had just said. It was Harvey's. She was going to have Harvey's baby. But they had used protection. "What?"

Dr Drake smiled at her. "I understand this is a shock. But now we know why you've been feeling the way you have."

"I don't think... " Celia's voice trailed off.

The doctor gave her another sympathetic smile as she glanced at her computer. "I can fit you in for an ultrasoundnow. They have a slot free."

Celia lay back on the bed in the ultrasound suite. She stared at the ceiling as she wondered how was she going to tell Harvey.

"Ok. This might feel a little cold," the technician said to her as she placed a dollop of warm gel on Celia's stomach. She gasped as the gel felt like ice to her skin. The technician rolled the scope across her stomach and adjusted some dials on the monitor. A muffled heart beat sounded through the speakers. "That's your baby's heart beat!"

Tears glistened in Celia's eyes when she heard the rhythmic sound. "Oh my god!"

"And here is your baby," the technician moved the monitor around so she could see it. She stared at the black and white image on the screen. Her hand flew up to her mouth when she saw tiny movements on the screen.

"From our measurements you appear to be 11 weeks pregnant," the technician said to her with a smile.

Celia's head shot up in surprise. "11 weeks? I should only be about 5 weeks."

The technician looked back at the screen and took some more notes. "You're 11 weeks pregnant."

Celia lay back down on the bed. 11 weeks. She recalled the night she and Phillip had sex the night before he turned himself in to the police. That means he was the father. Not Harvey.

_To be continued_


	14. Chapter 14

\\-oOo -/

"Harvey Specter! And his ex con protege. What brings you both to this side of town?," Jack Soloff greeted them when they both strode into his office with purpose.

"NYC Law Services," replied Harvey shoving his hand into his pocket as they both stood in front of the other man.

Jack leaned nonchalantly back in his chair eyeing the two men with disdain. "I'm sorry but what?"

"You heard us. Who the hell do you think you are stealing our clients?" Harvey demanded.

Jack scratched his salt and pepper beard absentmindedly. "I've no idea what the hell you are talking about! But if someone is stealing your clients then maybe you should ask why they want to leave that sorry ass firm of yours." He chuckled to himself .

"I knew he would deny it Harvey. Our private investigator identified your car at a location in Queens," Mike said.

"A ten year old Hyundai no less. I see you're no longer making the big bucks," Harvey quipped looking around the sparsely furnished office. Files and books lay strewn across the floor and Harvey could barely look at the layer of dust on the filing cabinet because it gave him anxiety.

"A 10 year old car and a cheap suit with an office in Brooklyn. I guess times haven't been all that good to you since Rand Kaldor let you go," Mike said.

Jack lowered his head and then glared at the two. "I decided that I had enough working for money grabbing greedy firms so I branched out on my own."

"Is that what you call it?" Harvey asked raising his eyebrows. "Maybe other firms saw your performances evaluations and decided that you had reached your peak 20 years ago."

"I don't know anything about NYC Law Services or why your private investigator has my car details but one thing I do know is that I will be filing a legal action against you both for slanderous accusations!"

"When Jessica left the firm she left with me a very interesting document. I'm sure you know what's in it," Harvey said.

"Ah good old Jessica. How's she handling her new job with the mayor in Chicago? "

"I'm sure you wouldn't want your little indiscretion made public do you? That puts you in a world of shit. I can call Donna now to issue a press release, " Harvey said pulling his cellphone out of his inside pocket. "She's ready to run with it."

"Guys, I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I don't know anything about NYC Law Services. I don't know why my car was seen in Queens. I've been out of town for the last 6 weeks."

"Where did you go? " asked Mike.

"Boston. You can get your investigator to check the Boston Memorial Hospital for my admission there," revealed Jack.

Harvey and Mike glanced at each other. "Why where you admitted to hospital?"

"I had a heart attack when I was visiting up there. I had open heart surgery. I can show you the surgery scar if you want proof? So I couldn't possibly have been in Queens at any time in the last 2 months."

"Did you lend your car to anyone?" Harvey asked feeling a bit guilty for harassing the other man.

"No I didn't," replied Jack. "Unless my 16 year old son took it out. And you will be damn sure I'll be asking him about it."

Harvey looked at Mike again who gave him a small nod and they both turned to leave the office. "Hope you're feeling better."

Jack leaned back in his chair with a weary sigh and waited for them to leave the building. Picking up his desk phone he dialled a number.

"Damn answering machine," he muttered before leaving a message.

_"It's me. When you get this call me ASAP and tell me what the hell you were doing with my car at Rockaway? You said it wouldn't be traced back to me."_

_\\-oOo -/_

"So if it wasn't Jack then who was it?" Mike asked while Harvey took his cellphone out to make a call once they were sitting back in the black Lexus.

"Damn it. Celia isn't answering," Harvey muttered listening to the number ring out. He pressed a number on his speed dial which put him straight through to Vanessa.

"Check Boston Memorial Hospital's admissions office for Jack Soloff in the last 6 weeks " he said to her.

"Will do Harvey," she replied.

"I may need you on something else as well. Stay tuned," he said before hanging up the phone.

"None of this makes sense," Mike said scratching his head.

"No it doesn't," replied Harvey. "I do know one thing though!"

"What's that?"

"It was fun in there. Just like old times," grinned Harvey.

"Yeah it was," Mike said with a little chuckle. He glanced out the window of the car with a heavy sigh.

Harvey sensed the change in his mood. "What's wrong?"

"It's Rachel. We were trying for a baby but it hasn't happened. We decided to give it a break for a while, " Mike said.

"You both decided or you decided?"

"I decided," replied Mike with another sigh. "I couldn't handle seeing her disappointment when she found out she wasn't pregnant."

"I'm not the best person to come to on advice on having babies but there are other options you know," replied Harvey.

"I know but we got in big fight and I told her I didn't want to try other options."

"Why not?"

"I don't know if I'll be a good father. I was a fraud who went to prison for pretending to be a lawyer. What if my child ever found about that? What would I tell them?"

"You deal with it when the times comes," replied Harvey. "And Mike. You will be a great father."

"If Louis can do it then I guess anyone can," grinned Mike.

Harvey laughed and rolled his eyes. "As long as you don't ask me for advise on the best birthing position or if I knew any doulas! You and Rachel will work it out."

\\-oOo -/

Rachel stood deep in thought in the elevator as it sped up to the 50th floor. She was glad to be back in New York even if it was just for a few days. She missed it. She missed the firm and her friends but she also loved her life in Seattle. She heard her phone ringing in her bag and she fished it out noticing that it was her Dad calling her.

"Hi Dad. Hope you have the vineyard spick and span for the weekend," she grinned.

"Rachel, your grandmother fell and broke her leg last night. Your mom and I are going to the hospital now," Robert said over the phone.

"Oh my God! Is she ok?" Rachel asked as her hand flew up to her mouth.

"She's going into surgery now," replied Robert. Rachel could hear the upset in his voice.

"Mike and I will be right over. Which hospital are you at? Is it Mercy?" she said stepping off the elevator.

"She's at Mercy. But you don't need to do that honey. She'll be in surgery and then recovery for the rest of the day. Come and see her tomorrow."

"Ok. Give her my love Dad," Rachel said.

"And will you tell Donna that I won't be at the firm retreat but they're all welcome to come up for the weekend."

"Ok I will Dad," she replied. "I love you."

"Love you too baby," Robert said before hanging up. Tears prickled in her eyes as she thought about her beloved grandmother. Her cellphone beeped and she saw that it was a text from Mike saying they were on their way back to the firm. The elevator dinged and she turned to see Louis getting out of it.

His eyes lit up when he saw her and dragged her into a big bear hug. "Rachel! It's so good to see you. Sorry I missed you yesterday."

The familiar feeling of her friend's hugs brought out a loud sob from her and he frowned when he stepped back to see tears streaming down her face. Keeping his hands on her shoulders he stared into her face even though he was not used to females bursting into tears unless you could count Sheila's hormones which changed from tearful to rage at any given moment. "Rachel? What's the matter? Is it Mike?"

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the hankie he proffered her. "My grandmother had an accident and broke her leg. She's going into surgery now."

"Oh my god!" he exclaimed taking her by the arm to go to his office. They passed Donna in the conference room who gave them a quick wave when she noticed them. She nodded when Louis indicated that they were coming in.

"Louis, how's Katrina?" Donna asked.

"A little shaken up but the cops are looking into it. She's taking a couple of days off," replied Louis. "Rachel's grandmother broke her leg!"

"She's 88," sniffed Rachel sitting down on the conference room table.

Donna sat beside her and put her arm around her. "She'll be fine. She's a Zane after all!"

Rachel laughed quietly. "Dad said he won't be able to come to the retreat but that everyone else are welcome to go."

Donna glanced at Louis who gave a small nod. "I think under the circumstances it might be best to cancel the firm retreat."

"No," Rachel said blowing her nose. "He wouldn't want that. And you've put so much work into it."

"I think it would be best and besides it wouldn't be right with Robert not there," Louis said.

"I agree," Donna answered. "I'll let the others know. We can have a big Christmas party instead."

Mike and Harvey arrived back at the firm and saw them all in the conference room. Harvey's cellphone rang and he answered it while Mike noticed how upset Rachel was.

"What's going on?" Mike asked when Rachel got to her feet and went to him.

"Mike, Gramma Z had an accident and broke her leg. She's in surgery."

"Oh poor Gramma Z," replied Mike. He had become particularly fond of the elderly lady who reminded him of his own grandmother.

"Mike, Dad said we didn't need to be there tonight but I really want to be."

"Ok, let's go," replied Mike taking her hand. He looked back at Donna and Louis. " It's not Soloff. Harvey will fill you in."

"Ok thanks, Harvey said hanging up the phone. "Soloff's story checks out. He had heart surgery 5 weeks ago. So it wasn't him."

"So we're back to square one then," sighed Donna.

"Looks like it," Harvey said. "Where's Celia? She needs to hear this too."

"Is she back from the clinic yet?" Louis asked looking out the conference room door. He spotted Gretchen at her desk and remembered that he had asked her for a list of wet nurses in the city.

"Haven't seen her," replied Donna.

"What if there is really something wrong with her? That would be awful! " exclaimed Louis as he left the room muttering to himself.

Harvey and Donna stood in awkward silence for a moment. They hadn't spoken about him turning up at Thomas's party the other night.

"Why did she go to the clinic?" asked Harvey with concern.

"She wasn't feeling well," Donna said picking up her files. "She thinks it might be a virus."

Harvey nodded and bounced on his heels for a moment. "I meant to say congratulations to you and Thomas."

Donna flushed and smiled. "Thank you Harvey but I told him I would think about it."

"Why do you need to think about it? If you love the guy then marry him," replied Harvey. It almost killed him to say those words but she did look very happy with Thomas at the party.

"I'm not sure..."

"Not sure of what Donna?"

Donna felt it seemed like he was almost willing her to say that she didn't love Thomas but instead she just smiled at him. "Nothing Harvey. Nothing."

\\-oOo -/

Celia arrived back at her office after her visit to the clinic. She hoped that she didn't meet anyone on her way back and ask her what was wrong. Gloria, her secretary, was away from her desk which was also a relief so she wouldn't have to see her either. Sitting down at her desk she took the sonogram photo out of her purse and stared at it.

Gloria saw her as soon as she got back to her desk. Hearing the knock on the door Celia looked up and hastily slipped the photograph under a pile of documents on her desk.

"Was everything ok?"

Celia cleaned her throat and smiled. Still not ready to have that conversation with anyone. "Yes just low blood sugar. Everything is fine."

"That's good," smiled the secretary. "Your 2pm meeting with Boylston Technologies was rescheduled for Thursday at the same time. And Clarkson wants a meeting about the merger."

"Thank you Gloria," smiled Celia.

She stood at the door for several seconds. "Will that be all?"

"Um...could you please cancel the rest of my afternoon and no calls please. Except Dr Drake from downstairs. She said she wanted to schedule a follow up appointment."

"A follow up? But I thought everything was ok," replied Gloria.

"Everything is fine! Could you just do that! " snapped Celia. She saw the look on her face. "Thanks Gloria."

Gloria started to leave the office but stopped and turned. "Celia. If you ever need someone to talk to you know I'm always here."

She gave her a small smile. "I know."

Her cellphone buzzed and she saw that it was Stu calling her. She let out a sigh but didn't answer it. Things were complicated enough at the moment without adding him to the mix.

\\-oOo -/

Mike glanced at Rachel sitting beside him in the back of the taxi as it crept through the city streets to the hospital in Harlem. The traffic was horrendous and the taxi driver honked like a mad man at everything that got in his way.

"Everything will be ok," he said taking her hand.

"You don't know that Mike!" She snapped at him.

"No you're right. I don't know that but we just have to be positive and get through this Rachel," he said kissing her hand.

She didn't reply and continued to look out the window.

"I know this isn't the best time to say this Rachel but if you want to we can start trying for a baby again."

She turned her head to look at him. "Why did you change your mind?"

"I was afraid," he answered honestly.

"Afraid of what Mike?" she asked giving him a puzzled look.

He let out a long breath. "About becoming a father. That I wouldn't be a good enough one. That one day I'd have to tell him or her that I was in prison for pretending to be a lawyer."

Rachel's face softened and she squeezed his hand. "I have fears too Mike. But we can do this together. We're a team!"

He gave her a big grin. "So we are really going to do this?"

"We are," she smiled. "And I know you didn't want to do this but we should look at our other options if it doesn't happy naturally. Once Gramma Z is over her surgery."

"Ok," replied Mike leaning over to kiss her.

\\-oOo -/

Celia sat on her couch in a daze. She still couldn't believe it. She looked up when she heard a knock and saw Donna standing by the door.

"Hey," the red head said coming into the office. "How did you get on at the clinic? "

Celia stared at her unable to say anything for a moment. "I'm...um...I'm pregnant." Saying it out loud felt alien to her. Making it real.

Donna's eyes widened as she closed the door. "Oh my god! What...who.. How?" She didn't want to mention that she and Gretchen had already guessed.

Celia got to her feet and walked to the window. "It's Phillip's."

"I thought you and he didn't...weren't... "

"We did. The night before he was taken into custody. I'm 11 weeks."

"Oh my god," repeated Donna.

"Say that a few more times and you will get to where I currently am!" sniffed Celia .

"Kind of explains everything though," Donna said. "How are you feeling about it?"

"Donna I'm going to be a 40 year old single mom who works 15 hours a day. What am I supposed to do with a baby? Keep it in a bassinet in the corner? I can't have a baby!"

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I'd have to baby proof the apartment. It's a studio apartment. What would I do when it gets bigger? I'd have to tell my mom. She's going to be so judgemental. What do I do if the baby is sick and I have to work?"

Donna watched as she paced back and forth. "Cece. You don't have to make any of these decisions yet!"

"But I do Donna because in 6 months time I'm going to be squeezing a tiny human being out of me! I'm not going to be able to dye my hair... "

"I thought you didn't dye your hair," Donna said with amusement.

"I don't but I won't be able to if I wanted too!"

Donna walked over to her and placed her hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be fine."

Celia shook her head. "I need to get some fresh air. I need to think. But Donna please don't tell anyone yet!"

"I won't Cece," Donna smiled as Celia picked up her bag and coat to go out the door.

Donna walked back to her office deep in thought. She picked up her cellphone that she had left on her desk and dialled a number.

"Hi it's me. I was wondering if you are free for dinner tonight."

\\-oOo -/

The late afternoon November sun created a dappled effect through the trees that had not yet lost their leaves as Celia walked through Central Park. There was a cold bite in the air. It seemed that once November had arrived it turned colder. It would soon be Thanksgiving and then Christmas. _Life has a way of moving forward even when you didn't want it too thought Celia_. She came upon the little coffee place near the ice skating rink and decided to sit for a little while. After ordering a ginger tea she sat outside under the canopy. Even though the patio heater provided a lot of warmth she huddled inside her coat.

She sat sipping her ginger tea. Ginger was apparently good for nausea according to the doctor earlier. The pains she had been experiencing was nothing to worry about. The doctor had explained it was normal to have twinges due to the uterus expanding and stretching. It was ok to go running again. She wouldn't be able to play hockey until after the birth. Alcohol was of course off limits and she would start taking folic acid supplements. Her blood pressure was a little high but that would be closely monitored.

From her vantage point she watched the world go by until she realized that all she was watching was pregnant women or fathers out with their kids. She smiled to herself when she watched one man teach his son how to ride a bike. She noticed one heavily pregnant lady sitting on a bench being joined by an another woman. The two kissed each other on the lips and the other lady placed her hand lovingly on the bump.

"Excuse me? Do you mind if I sit here?"

Celia turned to see a young woman with a stroller standing beside her table. "Not at all."

She sat down and turned her attention to the pink bundle squirming in the stroller. She spoke soothingly to the baby and fixed the blanket. "She's announcing she's awake."

Celia peeked into the stroller and saw the the little thing stretch out her arm from under the blanket and yawn. "She's beautiful. How old is she?"

"3 weeks old," smiled the lady. "But the best thing I ever did."

Celia smiled as the lady took the baby out and held her against her shoulder. She felt tears prick up in her eyes and she blinked rapidly to stop them.

"How far along are you?" The lady asked smiling at Celia.

"I...I just found out. 11 weeks."

"Well let me just say. That everything you have read about childbirth and labour is true. But once you hold your little one for the first time and look into their eyes. You immediately forget about the pain. It sounds cliched but the rush of love that you feel for your baby is is unlike any other love you have felt," the other woman said settling her baby back into the stroller.

Unable to say anything for fear of bursting into tears Celia gave her a small smile and nodded her head slightly.

"Good luck with everything," the lady said standing up and pushing the stroller out..

Placing her cup down on the table Celia got to her feet and headed out of the park. She had made a decision. She was going to have this baby and do it alone. It would be loved and protected and not want for anything. She exhaled slowly and smiled to herself as she walked through the park.

\\- oOo -/

Donna finished lighting the last candle in her apartment. Her living room was lit with dozens of candles giving the room a warm glow. Jazz music played quietly on the stereo. It was Harvey's dad's album but she had always loved Gordon's music. It didn't occur to her to put any other music on.

Donna let out a sigh as she poured herself a glass of red wine. She glanced in the mirror and fixed her hair when she heard the knock on the door. Smoothing down her dress she opened it to see Thomas on the other side.

"I hope you don't mind but I brought the wine" he smiled holding out the bottle of red wine.

"I don't mind in the slightest," she replied kissing him lightly on the lips. He raised his eyebrows when he saw the room filled with candles.

"I thought it would be nice," Donna said by way of explanation.

"Always the hostess," he smiled leaving the bottle on the table. "Nice music. I always had a love for jazz."

"It's.. " She realized that she was going to tell him that it was Harvey's dad's album but thought the better of it. "I ordered from the shitty Thai place."

He gave her a puzzled look. "Shitty Thai? It is going to poison me?"

"No," laughed Donna. "It's pretty good. We order it a lot at the firm."

"So how was the firm today? Still standing?" Thomas removed his jacket and sat on the couch.

"Yeah just about. Rachel's grandmother broke her leg. We thought we had a lead as to who was going after our clients but we didn't and one of the partners is pregnant, " she said sitting down beside him.

"Busy day then!"

"Oh yeah! And how is newly named Thomas Kessler Designs fairing?"

"Pretty good. We got a big order already for the new designs. For a chain of hotels in Europe."

"Thomas. That's terrific. The new designs are amazing!"

The two were silent for a moment . "Thomas. I wanted to apologize for my reaction the other night when you... "

"I wanted to apologize too. I really shouldn't have sprung something like that on you without talking to about it first," he said lightly running a finger up and down her arm before leaning forward and kissing her shoulder.

"I was in shock I think," admitted Donna with a smile.

"I know," he said with a nod of his head.

Donna glanced at him with a smile before taking his hand. "So do you think we should have a long engagement?"

He gave her a puzzled look before his face lit up in recognition of what she was saying. "Wait a minute! Are you saying what I think you are saying?"

"Yes it Thomas," she smiled. "I will marry you!"

_To be continued_


	15. Chapter 15

Author Note

Thanks for the reviews and follows. I hope you are enjoying! Who knows what may happen in upcoming chapters. Please review 😊

\\-oOo-/

Donna sat at her desk with her head buried in paperwork. Trying to distract herself from the fact that she had yes to Thomas last night wasn't working. She picked up her trusty multicoloured pen and absentmindedly tapped it against her desk. She should be feeling happy. Thomas was over the moon and wanted to announce it to the world but she managed to persuade him that they should tell their parents first. So this weekend they were going to Connecticut to meet her parents and then meeting his the following weekend. Her mind wandered to Harvey and how she was going to tell him.

"Good morning!" Celia popped her head into through the door of her office interrupting her thoughts.

The red head looked up and gave her a wide smile. Scanning her friend's features she noticed that she looked more relaxed than she had in a while. "Cece. You're looking better than you did yesterday."

"I am!" Celia sat on the chair in front of the desk. "I did a lot of thinking. I even slept better than I have in weeks."

"By thinking does that mean what I think it means?"

"I'm going to have this baby," smiled Celia.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Donna. "How do you feel about that?"

"Honestly?" Celia said in a whisper. "I'm fucking terrified!"

Donna laughed. "I'm really happy for you Cece. Congratulations! You're going to have to tell Louis though. He's beside himself with worry,"

"I'll go tell him now," smiled Celia.

Donna was silent for a moment. "While you're here. I have some news too."

"Oh?"

"I said yes to Thomas last night," smiled Donna.

Celia's eyes widened as she looked at the other woman. "Wow! I thought you weren't going to rush into things."

"I know but it's the right decision. Besides we haven't even talked about dates yet!"

"Ok," replied Celia. "If he makes you happy."

Donna pushed her lips together tightly and nodded her head. "He does."

Celia noticed that she didn't look entirely happy. "I take it you haven't told Harvey yet?"

"I haven't," she said with a sigh. "I'm going to have to but it will have to wait until I tell my parents at the weekend. Thomas and I are going to Connecticut at the weekend."

"I'm going to Providence at the weekend to tell my mom," Celia said rolling her eyes.

"Looks like we're both in for a fun weekend," grinned Donna.

"Oh yeah," smiled Celia getting to her feet.. "I'll work with Gloria to reschedule my appointments for the rest of the week and I'll email the changes that I made to the associate's assignments to you before I go."

"We also need to discuss your maternity leave dates when you get a chance," Donna said.

"Oh gosh. I haven't even thought about that! I could just work right up to the birth, have it here and then go right back to work. The way they did in the olden days," Celia joked with a raise of an eyebrow.

Donna flung her pen at her in amusement and watched her walk towards the office door. "What are you going to do about Stu?"

Celia held onto the door handle as she turned. She shook her head slightly and let her arm flop to her side. "I can't think about that right now."

"I understand," replied Donna.

Donna returned to her paperwork but none of it made any sense to her. She was too distracted to even concentrate on what was in front of her. She raised herself out of her seat and gazed out the window at the Manhattan skyline.

"Donna?"

She turned to see Katrina standing at the door. "Katrina! Welcome back!"

"Thanks Donna," replied the blonde lawyer coming into the room.

"Louis told me what happened. Have the police come up with anything?"

Katrina shook her head. "Not yet. But I was bored at home and have so much to catch up on."

"So they have no idea? Did you tell them about Brian?"

"No I didn't. I didn't want them going to him. He has a wife and a young baby," replied Katrina. "And I wasn't going to ask him either. But I haven't gotten anything since the photos so... "

Donna nodded. "Just be careful ok?"

"I will be," smiled Katrina. "I just need to get back to work. Sorry to hear that firm retreat was cancelled. I hope Rachel's grandmother is recovering."

"She is," Donna replied. "We're going to have a Christmas party instead! I think Louis is planning on closing the firm for a few days over the holidays. Especially with Sheila due around then."

"I told Louis that I would manage his client list while he was on paternity leave," replied Katrina. "That will keep me busy!"

"Yes it should," Donna said with a small laugh.

\\-oOo -/

"Rachel's grandmother had a comfortable night," Mike told Harvey over the phone later in the day.

"That's good news," replied Harvey leaning back in his chair.

"Rachel and I were hoping to get together with you guys before we went back to Seattle. The Aster Solutions depositions will probably take place in a couple of weeks. I'll be back for that. Maybe you and Donna can join us for drinks on Friday night?" Mike said still forever hopeful that his two friends would see sense. "Rachel is going to call Donna to set it up."

"I don't know what Donna's plans are but I'll have to consult my social calendar," grinned Harvey.

"Pfft, social calendar. You've never had one of those old man!"

"Less of the old man junior!" exclaimed Harvey. "Text you later."

"Ok dude," smiled Mike hanging up.

Harvey accessed his email and noticed that the company Abigail Walston wanted to merge with had finally replied to him. He sighed when he read it and picked up his cellphone to call her.

"Abigail, Callipo Foods want to see the company financial records before they even enter discussions on merging with Gailann," he said when she answered the call.

"Why do they need to see our financials?" queried Abigail.

"Due Diligence. They want to know who they are potentially getting into business with."

"If that's the case then I want to see theirs too," Abigail said.

"I'll let them know," replied Harvey before hanging up the call.

He sat back in his chair for a moment before getting up and making his way to Donna's office. "Hey."

She looked up and smiled when she saw him. "Hey."

"Mike and Rachel asked us for drinks on Friday night if you're free," he said leaning against the door frame. "Rachel is going to call you to set it up."

She opened her mouth to answer before realizing that she was going to Connecticut on Friday. "Shoot. I can't. We're...I'm going to Connecticut to see my folks."

"You're going or you and Thomas are going?" Harvey said feeling that the pit of his stomach just sank.

"We're going," she replied. "Thomas has some business there."

"Hope your dad doesn't ask Thomas to invest in one of his hair brained schemes!"

"Harvey!" Donna admonished.

"Have a good weekend Donna," Harvey said leaving her office. He sighed with a feeling of deflation while he walked back to his own office.

\\-oOo -/

"Reminder. Place an advertisement in New York Nanny. If Sheila thinks we're going to hire a manny she's fucking delusional," Louis spoke into his trusty dictaphone. "Email the decorator about changing the colour of the nursery _again_. Baby Shower favours... "

"Louis, can I talk to you for a minute?" Celia asked as she stood at the door to his office.

He switched off the dictaphone and placed it on his desk. "Course you can Cece. How did you get on at the clinic?"

Celia sat down in front of him. "That's what I came in to tell you."

Louis narrowed his eyes and looked at her. "What's wrong? Did you get bad news?"

"No. No. I didn't Louis," she replied with a smile. "I'm pregnant. It's Philip's."

He opened his mouth in surprise. "Oh my god!"

"It was a surprise to me too," she said.

"Sheila and Esther were right!"

She looked at him with confusion. "Sheila and Esther?"

"Yeah and Gretchen too!" He indicated the woman sitting outside the office. Gretchen rolled her eyes when she saw him looking at her.

Celia glanced back at her and then turned her attention back to Louis. "Oh."

"When are you due? Was it a shock for you when you found out? Was that why you fainted?" Louis' questions came quick and fast.

"May. Big shock. And yes!" answered Celia.

"This is so great! Little Baby Litt will have a playmate!"

"I guess she will," Celia smiled.

"Are you going to find out the baby's gender beforehand?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't really thought about it."

"We decided not to. Sheila wanted to keep it a surprise but I believe we're having a girl!" exclaimed Louis excitedly. "Have you put the baby's name down for school yet?"

"The baby hasn't been born yet Louis. It's a bit soon to put it's name down," replied Celia.

"It's never too early Celia. Some of the best schools have a waiting list of 5 years. Sheila and I put the baby in for 3 of the top private schools in the State. I'll get you the list."

"I'll think about it," she smiled

"So how are you feeling? Has the morning sickness lessened?"

"It was more like all day fatigue and nausea. The doctor said it would lessen in the next week or two when I enter the second trimester."

"What about your breasts?"

" My...my breasts?" Celia asked feeling like she had entered the twilight zone of weird conversations with Louis.

"Are they still sore? Sheila's got very big. And she wants sex all the time which isn't a problem as we both have high... "

"That's WAY too much information Louis," Celia said beginning to stand up.

"Are you going to breastfeed?"

"Probably," she replied.

"Frozen cabbage leaves!" Louis said suddenly as if the thought just occurred to him.

"Frozen cabbage leaves?" Celia asked thinking that he had well and truly lost it.

"Helps with sore breasts. Oh! Have you decided what to with the placenta? We're looking at having it encapsulated. It's supposed to help with the healing process."

"Um...I really have to go," Celia said pretty sure the queasiness she was feeling was to do Louis' current train of thought.

"If you need a list of midwives as well and the best birthing centers in New York I can email them to you!"

"Thanks Louis," she smiled. "I appreciate that. I _really_ need to get going!"

Before Celia could leave the office Louis got out of his seat and pulled her into one of his signature big bear hugs. "Congratulations!"

"Louis! Don't squish the baby!" exclaimed Celia barely able to move out of his grasp.

"Oh sorry," grinned the man stepping back.

"Thanks Louis," she said as she left the office.

Looking towards Gretchen she noticed that the woman had a big smile on her face. "I believe congratulations are in order Curly."

"Why didn't you say something to me Gretchen?"

Gretchen smiled kindly at the other woman. "Because some things are best finding out by yourself Celia. It wasn't any of our business."

Celia smiled and nodded. "You are very wise!"

"I'd have to be to put up with that idiot in there!" Gretchen jerked a thumb towards Louis sitting in his office.

\\-oOo -/

"Good, you're here," Celia said entering Samantha's office who looked like she was about to leave.

The other lawyer picked up her briefcase before turning to look at her. "Just about. What can I do for you?"

"I need a favour," Celia replied hating that she had to come to Samantha for one .

Samantha gave her a look and dropped her briefcase back down on the chair. "Go on."

"I was wondering could you cover a meeting with Richard Franklyn on Thursday for me. I can't make it."

Samantha placed her hands on her hips while she gave Celia a slow grin. "You're blowing off your biggest client already? Can't cut it?"

Celia rolled her eyes and tutted. "I can't go and I'm not blowing him off. Oh you know what? Just forget about it. I'll ask Alex."

"Give me the file," Samantha said with annoyance. "If I do this you owe me one!"

"That's fine. Here's the file. We're working on filing a patent for a new product. Also the paperwork regarding my negotiations for..."

"I'll read it over before Thursday," Samantha interrupted her taking the file out of her hand. "If I do this for you it means any decisions I sign off on are final."

"That's fine. I don't think they'll have made any decisions on..."

"I got it Celia," replied Samantha.

"Thanks," Celia said turning to leave her office.

"Mind if I ask a question?" Samantha called after her.

"What?" Celia asked.

"Why can't you go yourself?"

"I just can't," she said knowing that she would see Stu there. He had called her twice but she ignored the call. She couldn't think about starting a new relationship when she had the baby to think about. He probably wouldn't want to know anyway.

\\-oOo-/

"Sorry I am only getting to call you now," Rachel said to Donna over the phone.

"That's quite ok Rach. I know you've been worried about your grandmother. How is she doing?"

"She's recovering. They said it will be a long recovery. Dad is thinking about moving her to a convalescent home near him by the Finger Lakes," replied Rachel. "But that is a long way off."

"Well the firm wishes her a speedy recovery," Donna said. She played with her pen on her desk while she considered what to say to Rachel about her engagement to Thomas.

"So Mike mentioned to Harvey about the four of us going out for drinks on Friday night?" Rachel said hearing the silence on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah Harvey said something earlier but unfortunately I have plans," replied Donna.

"Plans with Thomas?"

"We're going to Connecticut for the weekend."

Rachel formed an O with her mouth and looked around for Mike in the hospital lobby. "Does this mean what I think it mea?"

Donna got out of her chair and moved across the room to shut her door. "Yes it does."

"Oh my Gosh. That's huge! What did Harvey say?" Rachel asked.

"I haven't told him yet," she replied. "I was going to wait till after Thomas and I got back from Connecticut."

"Maybe you should tell him before you go. At least give him a chance to hear it first," replied Rachel.

"You're right. But please don't say anything to Mike yet. And I'm so disappointed that I won't see you both before you go back to Seattle!"

"Me too Donna. But Mike is coming back for the Aster Solutions case and I hope to be back then too. AND we'll definitely be back for your wedding!" Rachel grinned.

"Oh that's a long way off," replied Donna. "And you better come back. You're my Maid of Honor!"

Rachel gave out a little squeal which made the people in the hospital lobby turn and stare at her. "Just don't forget to tell him before you go."

"I won't Rachel. Give my love to Robert and Mike. Hope you have a great evening on Friday night," Donna said suddenly feeling the need to get off the phone before she started to cry.

"Will do. Love you," Rachel said.

"Love you too," replied Donna hanging up the call. Sitting motionless in her seat for several seconds she felt her eyes prickle with the beginning of tears. She sniffed and quickly wiped them away before anyone noticed her. That was the only problem with having a glass walled office sometimes. You never really had any privacy.

\\-oOo -/

"Harvey, I spoke to Harry and he said that he would send the CCTV media to you in the next couple of days. He also said he would investigate Jack further," Celia said when she met him walking towards his office later that evening.

"Good," he replied as they entered his office. "I have Vanessa working on it too."

Loosening his tie and placing his suit jacket over his chair he walked over to his drinks trolley and poured them both a scotch. He gave her a puzzled look when she declined the one he offered her.

"And here is the paperwork for the Condon Merger," she said handing him a file. "I swear if Jenson is looking to be mentored for the judicial program he'll need to get his head out of his ass!"

"The joys of being in charge of the associates," he said with a chuckle. He took a sip of his scotch and glanced at her. "So I heard you went to the clinic." It was more a statement than a question ."Are you ok?"

"Harvey, I need to tell you something," she said sitting on the black leather couch.

"What is it Cece?" Her tone of voice was beginning to worry him. He sat on the chair opposite her.

"I'm having a baby," she replied with a smile.

His eyes opened in surprise. A million thoughts went through his head. The main one being if it was his. "You're what now? Is it mi...?"

"It's not yours Harvey you can relax about that!" she said secretly enjoying the look of panic on his face.

"Oh! Do you mind me asking...?"

"It's Phillip's. I 'm almost 12 weeks gone," she replied.

"How do you feel about that?"

Celia gave him a small smile. "I'm still not sure. I haven't really gotten used to it yet."

Harvey leaned forward and took her hand. "You'll be a great mom."

"Thanks Harvey. I hope I don't screw up her life before it's born!"

"You won't."

"You sure had a look of fear when you thought it was yours! What would you have done if it was?"

Harvey blew air out of his cheeks while he considered his answer. It's not something he had ever thought about before. "I don't know. I would have wanted to be involved. Given you support," he answered honestly. "But I'll be here for you if you need me."

She smiled as they both fell into a comfortable silence.

"So you got yourself knocked up?" Harvey said with a twinkle in his eye.

"I guess I did," grinned Celia. "Do you want to see a picture?"

"Sure," he said taking the sonogram picture from her. He turned it from side to side trying to make out the image. "What am I looking at here?"

"Well...do you see that right there?" She said pointing to the grainy picture. "That's my baby."

Harvey swallowed as he stared at the photo. "Wow!"

"She's the size of a fig now."

"She? You can tell?"

"No not yet. They do a gender scan in a couple of weeks but she feels like a she," smiled Celia.

Harvey moved over beside her. "You're going to be an amazing mother."

"I never saw myself as a mom," she revealed.

"You and Phillip never talked about having a family?"

"Me and Phillip never talked about a lot of things," she said giving him a wry smile.

"I guess one good thing came out of your marriage." Harvey took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I meant what I said earlier. I'll be there for you if you need me."

"Thanks. That means a lot," she replied as he kissed the top of her head.

Donna stood outside his office and peeked through the window. She saw that they were both chatting and laughing. They seemed almost intimate in the way they were sitting. Feeling like she would be intruding on them she quickly backed away. She would tell him about the engagement after the weekend.

\\-oOo -/

Katrina sat on her couch with a glass in her hand while she read through the latest developments with one of her clients. This was going to be a tough one. And without an associate to help her it would mean working through the night. She was going to have to find a new associate. Susan definitely wasn't on the same wave length as her. She sensed someone at the door and she looked up to see a young dark haired woman standing there.

"Can I help you?" Katrina asked warily.

The woman stood at the door for several moments observing her before saying anything. "He told me you were pretty. That was an understatement."

"Do I know you?" Katrina asked getting to her feet. This woman unnerved her whoever she was. She walked over to her desk wanting to create some distance between them. She was ready to call security.

"You don't know me but I know you!" exclaimed the woman. "You kept him busy working late nights together." She indicated the word working with air quotes.

Katrina sucked in a deep breath when the realization hit her. "Are you...?"

The other woman came closer to her. Katrina could see that her eyes were red rimmed but had dark circles under them.

"I'm Brian's wife."

_To be Continued_


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's note_

_Sorry about the delay in this chapter. I just started a new job so my routine is all over the place at the moment and I am on my fifth rewatch of Suits. ThIs time all the way from Season 1 to 9. As always thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites. Reviews always welcome._

\\-oOo -/

"I'm Brian's wife."

Katrina sat down in her chair and looked directly at the other woman. "Julie. I just want to assure you that nothing ever happened between me and Brian."

Julie let out a short laugh which sounded bitter to the lawyer's ears. "I know that. He is too chicken to follow through on anything physical. He told me that he feels something for you. Do you feel the same way? If he hadn't left her would anything physical have happened?"

"I can't answer that Julie. But I did feel something for him. I'm not sure if it was because we worked so well together or... "

The woman paced the room stopping at the wall to view Katrina's Princeton degree and then glanced back at her. "I wanted him to be a lawyer. He had these fanciful notions about becoming a songwriter. But songwriting doesn't pay the bills."

"He told me that you were instrumental in him going to Law School," replied Katrina.

"I was! And when he got the associate position here it made the sacrifices worth it. We were newly married, had a baby on the way. Everything fit into place. It was our plan. Work his way up to partner and then in a few years open his own law firm."

"That's ambitious!"

Julie turned on her heel to look at her. "It was MY ambition. I wanted all those things for him!"

"And you still can Julie!"

She shook her head. "No I can't. I can't handle him having feelings for someone else. Even with him working at Melvaney and Hampstead his feelings haven't gone away. If anything they've gotten stronger."

Katrina remained silent not sure what to say. She felt sorry for the woman. "Julie. The reason why nothing ever happened between us was because I did not want to be responsible for breaking up a family."

"Doesn't matter now Katrina. You can have him now. I left him!" Julie's eyes filled with tears but she made no attempt to wipe them away.

Katrina opened her mouth in surprise and swallowed while she considered what to say next. She got to her feet and handed the other woman a tissue. "I'm sorry to hear that. But it was never my intention... "

"Save it Katrina. I will be filing for divorce and make no bones about it. I will be listing adultery as the cause."

"You can't do that! Because there was no adultery! Nothing happened!" exclaimed Katrina.

Julie sighed as she blew her nose in the tissue. "Ok. Then I want you to represent me in the divorce."

"I'm not a divorce attorney Julie. But I can refer you to someone. But please think about this. Brian loves you. He loves Austen. You are a family!" Katrina writing a name on her notepad and handed it to Julie and gave her a sympathetic smile. "He loves you. Maybe you both could also start counselling. In which case I can also recommend someone."

Julie stared at the piece of paper in her hand. Sniffing and wiping the tears from her eyes she raised her head to give the blonde woman a small smile. "I can see what he sees in you. Your very kind. Thank you."

A smile played on Katrina's lips. "Austen is lucky to have you both as parents."

"Did he ever talk about Austen?"

"He talked about you both constantly. About how you both loved The Breakfast Club. How Austen loved to spit his peas out."

"He told you all that?"

Katrina gave her a small nod. "Yes he did Julie. Because he loves you. You can't leave him."

Julie sat on the chair in front of Katrina's desk and exhaled deeply. "I need to think."

"Go back to him. Live your life with him and be happy."

Julie glanced at her with a smile. "Thank you. Sorry to have barged in here while you were working."

"That's no problem. I am glad to have met you and told you the truth," smiled Katrina .

The other woman got to her feet and walked towards the door. She stopped and looked back at the lawyer. "Me too."

Katrina sat back down in her chair and let out a long sigh.

\\-oOo -/

Samantha alighted from her black Lexus outside the glass building of Boylston Technologies. She exhaled slowly trying to fight back the pain of her bruised ribs that she still hadn't fully recovered from after she had injured herself in training a few weeks back. She had been positive that she hadn't broken any but as the weeks went by the pain hadn't gone away. She didn't have time to go to her doctor. She was busier than ever. New clients, new cases and she had taken on Robert's clients when he retired.

Announcing herself to the receptionist who told her that Richard Franklyn and Stu Buzzini were already present. She took another deep breath ignoring the sharp pain that stabbed her side. She followed the receptionist to Richard Franklyn's office

"Samantha Wheeler of Specter Litt Wheeler Williams," the receptionist announced to the two men sitting inside.

Stu looked up in surprise when she entered the room. "Samantha, what are you doing here?"

"Celia couldn't make it so she asked me to step in. She's brought me up to speed on everything," replied Samantha taking a manila folder from her briefcase.

"Ms Wheeler. So you have the documents for the patent application?" Richard Franklyn said to her. She thought he looked a bit pissed off but that wasn't her problem.

"I do but I just wanted to mention that this application will take a few months to get approved and there is no way to fast track it in the state of New York." Samantha said. "I would recommend filing in another state however."

"That sounds reasonable," Richard said looking through the file she handed to him.

Stu shuffled in his seat and took a folder from his briefcase. "We need to make a decision on the relocation sale."

Richard nodded his head. "We do."

"From what I understand Celia was in negotiations with the County Land Development Commission about a parcel of land," Samantha started to say.

"I am aware of that Ms Wheeler but my understanding was it could take up to 5 years for that land to be rezoned," stated Richard.

"The land in Jersey County is ready for sale at a fraction of the cost of the current lease in Rochester. The landowner is looking for the deal to be finalized by the beginning of next week. He has other interested parties," Stu said handing her the file.

She took a quick look through the file and nodded approvingly. "This is a good deal. And I see we get a 10% discount. I really don't know why Celia is not on board."

Tapping his hand on the side of his chair Stu waited to hear what Samantha had to say next.

"If this was my case I wouldn't hesitate to say yes let's go ahead and say sign. So this is my decision. We will sign and relocate the manufacturing sector to Jersey."

"Do you need to run it by Celia first?" Richard asked.

"No I don't. She has given me the authority to make all necessary decisions. This is a great deal and you would be mad to not take it up," Samantha said leaning back in her chair.

Richard glanced at Stu who gave him a small nod. "Ok. That's agreed then. I'll inform the division about the relocation. It may take a few months for the full transition."

Stu handed him the document and watched as Richard and Samantha sign it before he put his name to it.

"Ms Wheeler. If you have a minute please," Richard said to Samantha just as she and Stu were about to leave the office. Stu glanced at her wanting to talk to her and find out what was going on with Celia.

"Of course Richard," smiled Samantha sitting back down again knowing she was going to get it in the neck for Celia not attending the meeting. Stu frowned but left the room.

"Miss Wheeler, when I hired Celia as my lawyer it was on the condition that only she represent me," Richard started to say. "And now this is the second time that she has fobbed me off."

"I completely understand where you are coming from Richard," replied Samantha leaning back in the chair. "It's not acceptable."

"It's not and if she is not attending these meetings because she and Stu have had some sort of lover's tiff then I also question her professionalism."

"As name partner of Specter Litt Wheeler Williams you can be assured that I will be bringing this up with Celia and my other partners. Our priority is keeping our clients happy," replied Samantha inwardly seething with anger.

"Good because I will be forced to look for another lawyer if this issue is not resolved," Richard said.

"Rest assured this issue will be resolved," Samantha said standing up.

"Samantha! Wait up! " Stu called when she passed him by on the busy New York street.

She rolled her eyes but stopped and turned to look at him.

"What's going on with Celia?"

"She couldn't take the meeting," Samantha said not really wanting to get into a discussion with him.

"She's ignoring my calls. What's up with her?"

Samantha looked at the ground and then smiled at him. "This is something you have to take up with her. It's not my place to say!"

"What is it? Is she seeing someone else?"

"No Stu. Like I said. You need to talk to her."

He was silent for a moment. "You know something."

"All I know is that she asked me to take the meeting because she couldn't. I don't know anymore. Now if you excuse me I need to get this paperwork filed."

Stu let out a frustrated sigh when he watched her walk away. He looked down at his cellphone and considered calling Celia again but decided against it. She was going to be pissed anyway now that they had made a final decision on relocating Boylston's manufacturing division.

\\-oOo -/

Friday evening traffic was snarled in every direction out of the city. Horns blared and annoyed drivers cursed and swore at pedestrians, other drivers and themselves. It seemed like everyone wanted to get out of the city at the same time.

Thomas glanced over at Donna as she gazed out the window of the passenger seat of his black Prius. "You're quiet."

She turned her attention to him and gave him a smile. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Thomas asked blaring the horn at a pedestrian who had just walked out in front of the car.

"How surprised my parents are going to be!"

"But you are happy about it?"

"Of course I am Thomas," she said taking his free hand in hers.

" Good. That's if we ever get there." Thomas rolled his eyes. "What is with the traffic this evening?"

"Oh my god! I found your pet peeve! Traffic!" she grinned.

"Donna. Everyone in New York has a pet peeve about traffic. It 's not just me!"

A small laugh escaped her mouth. "It will be fine once we're out of the city. Hartford is less than 2 hours away."

"Hey," Thomas said. "I know we don't have a ring yet but maybe we could look this weekend?"

"I would love to," Donna said with a smile. Their eyes locked and she ran her hand lightly over his. He turned his attention back to the road and blared his horn again at a car that had cut in front of him. Donna sat back in the comfortable seat and closed her eyes. She had told her mom that they were coming but she knew that they were going to be shocked with the news of the engagement. She still couldn't quite believe it.

_Donna's flashback - 1989_

_"Sweetie. And this will be your room," Donna's mom showed the red headed teen around their new apartment in Hartford. Donna stood at the door and looked inside. It was tiny. So much smaller than the one in her old house._

_"I know this whole transition has been difficult for you Donna but I promise that you will be very happy here," Clara said smiling at her daughter. "And it will be just you, me and Dad. Corinne is moving in with some friends on campus."_

_Donna nodded slowly as she dragged her suitcase into the room. Her mother gave her another smile and left the teenager to unpack her belongings. Her bed and dressing table were the same but nothing else was. She let out a long deep breath as she sat on the edge of the bed. Nothing seemed familiar to her anymore. New school. Which she would start on Monday. New friends. Her piano had to be sold but she had joined the musical theater group which he was looking forward to but it wasn't the same as having her piano. _

_Donna sighed again while she opened her suitcase but she felt the tears prickle up in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away before lying down on the bed. She wrapped her arms around herself as she sobbed quietly._

_\\-oOo -/_

Celia's taxi pulled up on the tree lined street outside her mom's house in the Mount Pleasant suburb of Providence. She could have driven but she decided to get the train. It was just over a 2 hour drive and she really wasn't up to dealing with Friday evening traffic. The train had been delayed by an hour but at least she could get some work done. She hadn't heard from Samantha about how the meeting at Boylston went but she assumed that the other lawyer would clue her in when she returned after the weekend. Picking up her cellphone and scrolling through the names she sighed when she reached Stu's name. She had thought about calling him so many times since she found out about her pregnancy but she decided not to. It could only be a professional relationship from now on. The taxi driver helped take her bag from the trunk of the car and she smiled and thanked him as she paid the fare.

"Mom, I'm here!" she said pushing open the door to the small white house. This was the house she had grown up in.

"Celia, darling."

She looked up to see her mother putting an earring in while running down the stairs.

"The train was late," she said as the two hugged. "Where are you off to?"

"The Chamber of Commerce awards," replied Teresa. "I couldn't change my plans. Darling, you look tired."

"I'm fine Mom. You go to the awards. I'll be fine here," smiled Celia. "I can catch up with The Crown on Netflix."

"Ok. Your bed is made up and there is leftover casserole in the fridge if you want to heat it up if you are hungry. I really have to go!" exclaimed Teresa giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"See you in the morning," Celia said watching her mother leave the house.

Sighing deeply Celia walked into the living room and cast her eye over the photos on the mantle. She noticed that there was two new ones of her sister Suzanne's kids. Both of them looking very serious in their school portrait. She lightly ran her hand over her tummy. There was a slight bump but it wasn't very noticeable to anyone else but her.

_Celia's Flashback - Summer 1989_

_"Mommy. Where are you?" 10 year old Celia ran into the house after the bus had dropped her off after school. "Mom!"_

_She stopped in the kitchen to see her mother sitting at the kitchen table. She didn't notice that her mom had been crying. Teresa cleared her throat and blew her nose as she stood up to give her daughter a hug. "Where's Suzie?"_

_"She's playing outside. Mommy do you think Daddy will take us to the hockey game this weekend?"_

_"Um I don't know sweetie," Teresa said stroking her daughter's unruly curly hair. The truth was her husband Edward had left and she really didn't know how to tell her 10 year old and 8 year old. "He might be working."_

_"There was a judge in school today!" Celia said excitedly._

_Teresa smiled at her. Celia had said that she wanted to be a lawyer or a judge since she was 7. "Really! Did they say how hard you have to work?"_

_" Yes! They said you have to go to a special school to learn. Harv something."_

_"Harvard," replied Teresa. "Baby. If you want to be a judge and go to Harvard then you can do it. Remember you are everything you want to be."_

_"Then I will go to Harvard!" proclaimed the 10 year old. "How old do I have to be? Can I go now?"_

_Tears prickled in Teresa's eyes as she smiled at her eldest. "No sweetie. You're too young. You have to finish high school first. And then go to another school."_

_Celia let out a dramatic sigh. "Awww ok! Daddy will be home soon. I can't wait to tell him I'm going to Harvard."_

_A sob caught in her mother's throat and she cleared her throat while she stood up and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Call your sister in and then wash up. It's nearly dinner time."_

_Teresa wiped the tear forming in her eyes watching Celia skipping towards the front door to call her sister in._

\\-oOo -/

Thomas looked over at Donna as he pulled up in the parking lot of the Hartford Inn. She was asleep with her head leaning against the car window. He took a moment to gaze at her thinking how beautiful she was and he still couldn't believe that she had agreed to marry him. "Donna. We're here," he whispered tapping her arm.

Opening her eyes she gave him a sleepy smile. "I didn't want to fall asleep but it's been a long week."

"I'll get the bags," replied Thomas getting out of the car. She rubbed her eyes and followed him to the back of the car.

"Mom and Dad said they would join us for breakfast tomorrow seeing as we are too late for dinner," she said as they walked up the footpath to the old fashioned country inn. Solar lights lined the pathway creating a golden glow across the garden.

"I'm looking forward to meeting them," replied Thomas with a smile. He pushed open the door of the Inn and they both entered through the willow lined entrance.

A blazing fire in the hearth gave the reception area a cosy feel with two comfy armchairs placed in front of it. A small reception desk was unmanned but a sign beside a small bell told them to ring it if no one was available. Two rooms off the reception area looked inviting. One of them had a small bar with about half a dozen white linen tables dotted around the room. The other room had comfy armchairs with a big screen TV on the wall.

A middle-aged woman came running down the stairs behind the reception desk. "My apologies. I wasn't sure if you were coming or not."

"That's quite all right," Thomas smiled. "The traffic out of Manhattan was horrendous."

"Breakfast is between 7.30 and 9.30. You can have it delivered to your room or in the dining room or even out in the patio. If you just put your preference here," she said handing them a form. "And just sign here."

Donna watched as Thomas signed them in. "Your place is beautiful."

"My husband and I bought this place 4 years ago and renovated it before opening last year. Before that it was a run down farmhouse. We got the license to hold weddings and other events here. We're hoping that this will become one of the premier destinations in Connecticut."

"Good luck with it," smiled Donna.

"Your suite is on second floor, last door on the left. If you need anything just give me a call," the woman said handing Thomas a key. He thanked her and picked up his and Donna's bags.

"My parents are joining us for breakfast tomorrow. Would that be ok?" Donna asked.

"Yes that will be fine. We'll just add it the bill. When are you getting married?"

Donna glanced at Thomas. "We haven't set a date yet."

"Soon we hope," smiled Thomas.

"I hope after you have stayed here that you will consider us," the woman said handing Donna a small brochure. Donna fixed a smile on her face as she stared at the item in her hand. On the front of the brochure a couple in wedding attire beamed happy smiles as they held glasses of champagne in their hands.

"Thank you," Thomas said.

Their suite was beautifully decorated in cream and light brown giving it a rustic feel. A four poster bed was placed beside a large picture window.

"This is beautiful," Donna said peeking into the bathroom and seeing the freestanding cast iron bath in the middle of the bathroom.

"It sure is," Thomas said coming up behind her and kissing her neck. "What do you say we have the wedding here?"

Donna stood rooted to the spot before turning around to smile at him. "We haven't told our parents yet. Let's do that before discussing wedding venues."

Thomas placed a kiss on her forehead. "Ok Donna. Now that bath looks very inviting." Removing his tie he winked at her as he went into the bathroom and began to fill the bath. "Care to join me?"

\\-oOo -/

_"Mommy, when's Daddy coming back," 10 year old Celia asked her mom a couple of days later._

_"I don't know honey. He's working," replied Teresa knowing that she was going to have to tell her daughters that their father had left._

_Celia noticed the sad look on her mom's face. She remembered that it was the same sad look that her friend Sally's mom had when her dad left. "He's gone isn't he?"_

_Teresa wiped her eyes. "Yes honey," she breathed out. _

_Celia's eyes filled with tears. "Don't worry Mommy. I'll look after you."_

Celia opened her eyes with a start forgetting that she was in her old bedroom. Looking around her bedroom she smiled when she saw the hockey poster tacked to the wall. Lying on her back she ran her hand down to her tummy and stroked the little bump. It was something she had taken to doing since she found out about the baby. It felt surreal but real all at the same time. She closed her eyes to fight the familiar feeling of nausea but took some deep breaths which seemed to help. She could hear the radio in the kitchen and knew her mom was already up and about.

"Do you want coffee?" her mom asked when she eventually surfaced in the kitchen.

"Oh. No thank you," replied Celia pulling the big fluffy bathrobe around her. "Herbal tea if you have it."

Teresa gave her a knowing look and reached into the cupboard and found a box of chamomile tea. "I always found that chamomile tea was good for morning sickness."

Celia opened her mouth in surprise. "How did you know?"

Teresa sat down beside her and took her hand. "A mother knows. How far along are you?"

"Nearly 3 months. It's Philip's baby."

"And I guess you are going to keep it?"

" Of course I am. It's a baby. I didn't ask for it to happen but it did," exclaimed Celia.

Teresa gave her daughter a small smile. "Bringing up a baby alone when you have a demanding job like yours will be hard."

"I know Mom. It's not as if I haven't thought about this. I have. This baby will receive so much love."

"I know it will. I just want to let you know what you are letting yourself in for. And what are you going to tell him or her about it's father when it gets older."

Celia let out a sigh. "I don't know Mom. I'll deal with that when it happens."

Teresa stroked her daughter's hair. "I'm happy about it if you are."

"It was a shock to find out but I am happy about it."

"Good. When you become a mom you will want your child to be happy," Teresa said taking Celia's hand. "And no matter how old you are you will always be a child in your mother's eyes."

"Love you mom, " smiled Celia.

"I love you to baby."

\\-o/

The bright winter sun peeked through grey clouds creating a warmth on the breakfast patio of the Hartford Inn. The sound of birds singing and water trickling from the small nearby stream sounded like heaven to Donna. A gravel pathway wound it's way down to a small gazebo in amongst a copse of trees. The patio was encased in a glass enclosure so that it could be enjoyed at any time of the year.

"It's beautiful here," Donna said savouring her cup of vanilla flavoured coffee.

"Sure is," agreed Thomas gazing at the red head sitting in front of him.

"Here they are!" Donna said standing up and waving to her parents as they rounded the corner onto the patio. Jim and Clara Paulsen waved back as they made their way over to the couple. Thomas got to his feet and stood behind her waiting to be introduced.

"Mom, Dad. This is Thomas," she said feeling a little awkward to be introducing them to him.

"Oh! " exclaimed Clara. She was a little taken aback as she was really expecting Donna to tell them that she and Harvey were together. "It's lovely to meet you!"

"Likewise," Thomas said giving her his most charming smile.

"So you and my daughter are together," Jim said sitting down and pouring himself a coffee.

"Yes Dad. We are," replied Donna sharing a look with her mother.

"So what is it you do?" Jim asked looking directly at Thomas.

"I own a furniture design company. Thomas Kessler Designs," replied Thomas politely .

"I've heard of you! I love your designs. I wanted to get one of your pieces for a long time but... " Clara started to say before being interrupted by her husband.

"Expensive pieces of furniture."

"Dad!" exclaimed Donna feeling a little annoyed at how blunt her father was.

"That's ok Donna. They are expensive but they are exclusive and luxurious designs," smiled Thomas. "They're all my designs."

"So how did you two meet?" Clara asked.

"Thomas is a long standing client of the firm. We met the Law Society ball a couple of months ago. And we are very happy," replied Donna smiling as Thomas took her hand. "We have something to tell you."

Jim noticed the look of happiness in her face. "You're not pregnant are you?"

"JIM! " exclaimed Clara.

Donna let out a small laugh. "Dad! I'm not. But we are getting married."

Clara's eyes widened at the news. "Oh my god! That's great. Congratulations honey." She leaned across the table and kissed and hugged Donna.

Jim remained silent for a moment and the three turned to look at him expectantly. He sat back in his chair and regarded Thomas.

"Dad?" Donna asked feeling a little nervous at what he wad going to say.

"So you want to marry my daughter?" he eventually said to Thomas.

"Yes I do sir. I love her and I promise you that I will make her very happy," he said smiling at Donna and took her hand again.

Donna swallowed and felt her heart quicken when she heard Thomas tell her father that he loved her. He hadn't told her that and although she cared a lot about him she was conflicted about her feelings for him. Her mind went to Harvey and what she felt when she kissed him that night in her office. But he had told her that he didn't want more. And she had to live her life.

Clara noticed the fleeting look of sadness on her daughter's face and realized that Donna didn't feel the same way about Thomas.

"Good," replied Jim. "I am happy for you both."

Donna gave her father a smile and squeezed his hand. "Thank you Dad."

"Have you set a date and decided on a venue yet?" smiled Clara. "We have a wedding to plan."

"We haven't yet," replied Donna. "We've decided to have a long engagement. We're not in any rush. Work is just crazy right now and Thomas has just launched a new collection."

"But we will soon," Thomas said.

"Sweetheart if you don't set time to plan the wedding how are you going to find time for your married life," Jim said ignoring the look of annoyance he had received from his wife.

Donna glanced at Thomas and then looked directly at her father. He was of course right but she really didn't have time to think about planning what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. "We'll look at dates soon Dad."

"Ok," nodded Jim. He turned his attention to Thomas. "So do you play golf?"

"A little bit Mr Paulsen. I'm more of an adventure sportsman. "Mountain biking, rock climbing," replied Thomas.

"Please call me Jim. We're going to be family after all. How about a round or two after breakfast?"

"Sure," smiled Thomas.

"Eugh golf," Donna said screwing up her face at the thought of the game.

"We can go shopping," Clara said.

Several hours later Donna and her mom sat down at a table in the coffee shop in the mall. They were laden down with shopping bags and Donna's feet ached.

"I have to say Thomas is lovely," Clara said after they had both ordered coffee.

"He is," replied Donna with a smile.

"But you don't love him," her mother said in a matter of fact tone.

Donna looked at her mom with surprise. "What did you just say?"

Clara reached out and took a silky strand of red hair in her hand. "Darling. A mother knows. You don't love him and I am certain you have and always will hold a torch for Harvey."

\\-oOo -/

Harvey absentmindedly stared out the window of the train as it sped through along the tracks. After having drinks with Mike the night before he decided to visit his dad's grave in Boston. Usually he tried to get up to it every few months but he hadn't been in a while. He realized that he actually hadn't be been there since he had reconciled with Lily and he felt guilty about that. His dad would have been happy that he had forgiven her. Lily was out of town this weekend so he was staying with Marcus who was coming back to New York with him on Sunday night to sign the contract for the new restaurant.

His thoughts went back to his night out with Mike who had again asked him to join him Seattle but Harvey never contemplated working anywhere else but the firm. He and Mike had also talked about Jack Soloff and what to do about the whole situation. Vanessa was still doing a background check and also following up on NYC Law Services. She told him she would have a full report by the end of next week and he knew she would. As he stared out the window his thought turned to Donna. Well it wasn't as if she was far from his thoughts she was always in them. More so than before. But she was with Thomas now and was probably going to marry him. The thought of that filled him with sadness. Mike had told him to man up and go for it with the redhead but he definitely wasn't going after another man's woman. It wasn't him. Mike had told him about his and Rachel's efforts in trying to have a baby and Harvey hoped that it would happen for the younger couple. He himself never really saw himself as a father but when Celia told him she was pregnant he felt disappointed for a moment that it wasn't his.

Stopping at a liquor store beside the cemetery he made his of two bottles of Macallen 18. One for the caretaker, who was always thankful for the gift, and a bottle to share with his dad. Coming to a stop at the headstone Harvey noticed that the plot was very well tended and that a fresh bouquet lay on the mound. Kneeling down he examined the flowers and saw that they were from Lily.

_"On the anniversary of our first meeting. All my love, Lily."_

He felt tears prickle in his eyes as he placed the two shot glasses on the headstone and poured the amber liquid into both of them.

"It never gets any easier Dad. I miss you, " he said after he had knocked back his shot glass. He did consider pouring another one but decided against it. Instead he knelt down and lightly ran his hand over the engraving on the headstone.

Images and memories of Donna suddenly came to his mind.

_"So what are we waiting for?"_

_"Come work for me. "_

_"You know I love you Donna."_

_"I'm leaving you Harvey."_

_"Are you saying you are coming back to me?"_

_"I think you are worthy."_

_"I'm sorry Harvey I had to know."_

Suddenly feeling that his airways were closing in on him he took some deep breaths before realizing that tears were streaming down his face. Making no effort to wipe them away he brought his hand up to his mouth and sobbed quietly into it.

_To be continued_


	17. Chapter 17

\\-oOo -/

Alex stared at the clock for what seemed like the 20th time in half an hour. After their argument Rosalie had gone to bed in the spare room. It wasn't the first time she had done that but it seemed all they did was argue recently. He had to get up soon but it seemed that sleep was not happening after a night of tossing and turning. He turned his head towards the clock again and saw that it was nearly 5am so he decided to get up for an early morning run. So not to disturb the girls or Rosalie he moved quietly as he got ready for his run. He didn't notice Rosalie peeking out the window off their Upper East Side townhouse as he took off at a brisk pace in the cold November dawn through Central Park.

He noticed the horizon turning a burnt orange as the sun began it's ascent into the day. He marveled at the changing colour and saw that even at that such an early hour people were going about their business. Music thumped through his earphones as he found his rhythm. So deep where his thoughts that he didn't notice the black town car until it was almost too late. He jumped back onto the pavement as it honked at him and then sped past him with the passenger gesticulating angrily at him. Alex flipped the bird at the car and was surprised to see that the passenger was Daniel Hardman.

Alex didn't know the man personally but obviously had heard about him from Harvey and Louis. He stood and watched as Hardman's driver stopped at The Belmont Apartments and opened the trunk of the car to remove some luggage while Daniel assisted a young woman from the car. Daniel briefly looked towards Alex standing on the corner but turned his attention to the woman and then disappeared inside the hotel. Alex took off on his jog again.

Daniel glanced nervously back again as he and Abigail entered the lobby the hotel.

"What is it Daniel?" Abigail asked noticing the change in his demeanor.

"That was one of the name partners at the firm," he replied. "Alex Williams."

"Oh my god! He saw me!" exclaimed Abigail.

"You've never met him," Daniel said.

"I haven't but it's risky going there today especially since Donna is already suspicious. They've already met with Jack. Their investigator is good! I'll cancel my meeting with Harvey today."

"No. We need to keep the plan in motion. Let them believe Jack is involved. It will take the heat off us," replied Daniel.

"Daniel. It's too risky!" Abigail said in a lowered voice. She really wasn't happy taking such a chance on their plan.

"Stop panicking. I told you. It will be worth in the end. That firm will be back in my hands soon!"

He pulled his keys from his pocket and headed towards the elevator without waiting to see if she was behind him. She rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh as she followed him.

\\-oOo-/

Harvey lowered himself wearily into his seat. He felt worn out especially after having such an emotional weekend in Boston but he had made a decision. He wasn't going to stand in Donna's way if she wanted to be with Thomas. She deserved to be happy. He owed her that much. Harvey checked on his emails and schedule and groaned when he saw that he had a meeting with Abigail today. The merger between her company and Gallipo foods just needed to be finalized.

"Harvey! Have you seen this?" Louis barged into the room holding a copy of The Manhattan Digest magazine in his hand.

"No I haven't Louis. You know I don't read trashy magazines!" he replied with a role of his eyes.

"The Manhattan Digest isn't a trashy magazine Harvey! It's an outstanding publication!" Louis said plonking himself down on the seat in front of the other lawyer.

"Whatever," smirked Harvey.

"But before you say anything Harvey. I want to let you know that we will stand by you in what you decide to do," Louis said.

"What now?" Harvey asked in confusion. He really was wondering what the hell Louis was going on about.

Louis pushed the magazine across the table. "Page 25."

"What about page 25? If this is one of those stupid lifestyle quizzes.. "

"It's not Harvey," Louis said in a more serious tone.

Harvey glanced at him and saw the serious look on his face. "Ok Louis." He thumbed through the pages till he got to the one in question. He was surprised to see a photo of him staring out from the publication. "Harvey Specter. Best Closer? Or Con Man?"

"We can sue the asses off them. We can get them for slander, defamation of character..." Louis started to say but noticed the look of amusement on Harvey's face while he read the article.

"We're not going to sue them Louis!" Harvey said with a chuckle looking up from the publication. "It's true anyway. Although I do like the way the writer compared me to Jordan Belfort."

"He was a con man and criminal Harvey. You're not. But even if you're not upset by this it can hurt the firm," replied Louis.

"No it won't Louis. No one reads The Manhattan Digest anyway."

"Yes they do," Donna said coming into the room. Harvey noticed that she was wearing a royal blue dress which had a slit on one side which showcased her legs. "I had a number of calls from clients this morning telling me that if you don't demand a retraction they will put us in review."

Harvey leaned back in his chair sighing deeply as he looked thoughtful for a moment. "Ok. This is what we will do. I'll go and see this... S R Munroe. Demand a retraction and if they don't...slap them with a defamation lawsuit."

"We can sue them for injury too. In fact... I can think of a half a dozen lawsuits..." Louis said appearing to relish the opportunity to sue the journalist.

"Easy Tiger," Harvey said glancing up at Donna. She gave him a slight smile as she twisted her hands together.

"It will be all hands on deck! Maybe I should ask Samantha to go to see S R Munroe with you!" Louis said getting to his feet.

"No Louis. I'll go by myself. And Donna... Tell any other clients who call that we are dealing with the situation, " Harvey said standing up and grabbing his suit jacket.

"Will do," replied Donna. She knew this wouldn't be the right time to tell him about the engagement. But then again when would there be a right time.

"I have a meeting with Abigail Walston today. If you see her before I get back just leave her in the conference room. Marcus should be here with the restaurant contracts later too. Let Katrina or Alex look them over before he signs."

"Hey isn't that big news about Cece?" Louis said.

Harvey glanced at Donna and then back at the other man. "Yeah it is. But she seems happy about it."

"I wonder what will happen with Stu now. They were getting pretty close."

"Louis. You know what happens when we gossip?" Donna said.

"Yeah but this isn't gossip. It's showing concern for our friend."

"It's gossip Louis," Harvey said striding out of the room.

"How did your weekend away with Thomas go?" Louis asked waiting for Harvey to be out of ear shot before he and Donna started to walk back towards their offices.

"He met my parents. My father loved him," smiled Donna.

"Wait a minute! Does this mean you said yes?" exclaimed Louis grabbing her hand but was disappointed to see no ring on her finger.

Donna stopped and turned to face him. "It's not official yet but yes. I haven't told Harvey so I would appreciate if you kept it to yourself."

Louis' eyes grew wide as he looked at the redhead standing in front of him. "Of course I won't tell anyone Donna. Your secret is safe with me. I'm happy for you though. Thomas is a good man."

"He is and thank you Louis," replied Donna fixing a smile on her face. Patting his arm lightly she turned and sashayed into her office. Once she knew Louis had gone to his she sat in her chair with a heavy sigh.

\\-oOo -/

Celia half listened to the conversations going on around her while she waited in line to be served at the coffee cart outside the firm. Digging her hands into the pockets of her coat she huddled up to keep warm in the cold November morning. After ordering a ginger tea and bagel she walked towards the building desperate to get out of the frigid temperatures.

"Celia!"

She turned at the sound of her name being called and was surprised to see Barbara Harris the HR Manager from Boylston Technologies standing behind her.

"Barbara? It's good to see you. What are you doing in Manhattan?"

"Save the niceties Celia. You promised you wouldn't do it but yet you did," Barbara almost shouted.

Celia glanced around her noticing that people were looking back at them as they hurried past. "I'm sorry Barbara. I've no idea what you are talking about."

Barbara shoved a file into Celia's hands. "Richard gave us notice. He's moving the production plant to Jersey. We're all out of jobs! After the hospitality we showed and you turn..."

Celia flipped through the file and saw the letter Richard Franklyn had sent to his employees. "Shit. I didn't know he'd do it so soon Barbara. You have to believe me."

"You were part of the group that came to the plant that time and you didn't know?" scoffed the other woman.

"Barbara. I will get to the bottom of this. I promise!"

"Your promises mean nothing Celia," Barbara said angrily before shaking her head and walked off leaving Celia standing in the middle of the street staring after her.

"Gloria. Do me a favour will you? Pull up the Boylston files," Celia said once she had reached her office.

"I was just about to tell you. Those files are on your desk. The relocation contract is on top," Gloria said following her in.

"Shit!" exclaimed Celia picking up the file and going to the signature page. "Get Franklyn on the phone. I'm going to see what Samantha has to say about this!"

"Right away, " Gloria said as the lawyer left the room.

"What the hell is that?" Celia demanded shoving the file into Samantha 's face in the bathroom.

"I don't know Celia. I can't see because you shoved it right in my face," the other woman said taking the folder.

"As it f you don't know Samantha. It's the relocation contract for Boylston Technologies. I wouldn't have agreed to this!" exclaimed Celia.

Samantha put the contract down on the counter and placed her hands on her hips as she turned to face her. "You _authorized_ me to make any necessary decisions. I thought it was a good deal and your _BOYFRIEND_ agreed with me!"

"I certainly didn't authorize you to agree to this!. This puts 100s of people out of work! There was another way..." Celia's voice began to rise.

"Well maybe if you didn't fob Richard Franklyn off he wouldn't be questioning your professionalism!"

"What did you just say to me?"

"He said he would be forced to look elsewhere for representation. And he has a right to do that because you are not doing your job which is to keep him happy!" replied Samantha.

"What the hell is going on here!" Donna came into the bathroom to find the two women shouting at each other.

"Celia's lack of professionalism because she had some sort of tiff with her boyfriend," Samantha said rolling her eyes.

"He's not my boyfriend and I explained to Richard already that I couldn't go..." Celia started to say.

Donna glanced at Celia and realized that she hadn't told Samantha about the pregnancy. "Ok. You both need to calm down..."

"I am calm," replied Samantha.

"Well I'm not," Celia said grabbing the file from Samantha and stalking out the door. Donna glanced at Samantha who was leaning against the counter with a look of anger on her face. "Are you ok?"

"Yes Donna. Please leave me alone," snapped Samantha.

Donna nodded and left the bathroom. Samantha angrily knocked her handbag off the counter. It's contents clattering against the marble tile. She leaned over to pick up her bag and the items which had fallen but winced when she felt a sudden sharp pain between her breast and her ribs. Gingerly placed her hand on the side of her breast and gasped when she felt something there. She stared into the mirror not recognizing the image staring back at her.

\\-oOo -/

Stu sat at his desk watching the latest stock changes on the market. He glanced up and saw Celia coming towards his office. _She does not look happy he though_t. He got to his feet and walked towards the door. "I guess by that look on your face you know the situation."

She pushed passed him and turned to face him. "You son of a bitch!"

"It was a business decision Cece," he said.

"And this is how I found out about it?" she exclaimed pushing the folder into his hands. "You didn't even have the courtesy to tell me!"

"You've ignored my calls for the last week Celia. You sent Samantha to the meeting instead. How was I supposed to tell you?"

"You promised those people that you would find another way. You stood there in front of all those people and made a promise. And it makes me look like a goddamn liar!"

"There wasn't any other way Cece and you know it. You are over reacting a bit don't you think?

She glared at him and shook her head in disbelief. "I'm over reacting?"

"I didn't mean like that Cece, " Stu said cursing himself for saying the wrong thing.

"You know what? Save yourself the apologies Stu. Business decision or not. I have no trust in you anymore. We're done!" She shot him a look as she brushed passed him as she left the office.

"Goddammit Celia," Stu exclaimed following her out the door. "Wait up!"

All the other traders in the office lifted their heads and watched as their boss ran out the door after the woman.

He got to the street and saw her getting into her car. "Celia!"

She held onto the door of the car as he caught up to her. "There's nothing more to say Stu. Just stay the hell away from me."

"What about us?" Stu asked taking her arm which she angrily pushed off.

"There is no us Stu. We're done!" she exclaimed getting into her car and banged the car door shut. She instructed her driver to take her back to the firm and he took off leaving Stu standing on the pavement staring after the car.

\\-oOo -/

Harvey strode into the Manhattan Digest office in Battery Park and demanded to see S R Munroe. The receptionist told him that the staff were in a meeting and were not to be disturbed.

"I'll wait," he said sitting down on one of the chairs in the waiting room. He tapped his hand against the side of the chair while the receptionist glanced over at him from time to time. "They'll be quite some time."

"I've got all day," he replied. "But tell S R Munroe that I would like to see him as soon as as he is out of his meeting."

"Sure," smirked the receptionist as she sent a message to the journalist.

Half an hour later Harvey was pacing the waiting area. He was pissed off to be kept waiting for so long. He had called some clients to arrange meeting them for another time.

"Mr Specter," a voice said behind him.

He turned to see a dark haired woman in her late 30's standing by the reception area. "I'm Stella Munroe."

"Munroe? But you're a..." Harvey stumbled over his words expecting to meeting a man not a woman.

"Yes I'm a woman. Now what can I do for you?" Stella asked knowing full well why he was there.

"This!" Harvey said pushing the offending magazine towards her.

"So you're not happy with the piece?"

"You're damn right I'm not! Retract the article or expect to be hit with a dozen or so lawsuits!"

Stella stood with her arms folded glaring at him. "That's just typical! Those in powerful positions always think they can push around others. My article was right on the money!"

"Then you can expect a lawsuit on your desk first thing in the morning," replied Harvey. "Because I think you have forgotten that this high powered lawyer has the full force of the best law firm in New York behind him! See you in court."

Stella watched as Harvey strode out of the magazine office. She let out a deep shaky sigh while she leaned against the desk.

"What are you going to do?" asked the receptionist .

"One thing I'm not going to do is be intimidated and bullied by the likes of him! In fact I may just have another idea for my next article." Stella looked back towards the exit and then smiled at the receptionist before heading back to her office.

\\-oOo -/

"Richard, I understand that but the County Land Development Commission were willing to sell the land at a reduced price," Celia spoke into the speakerphone in her office to Richard Franklyn.

"It was a good deal Celia. It won't be happening straight away. There will be a transition period and those who don't want to transfer will be given a very generous severance package," replied Richard. "I would like you to oversee the transition contracts however. I've emailed you the specifics of each department."

"I'll look them over and make the necessary adjustments," Celia said opening her email.

"I'd like Stu's input on this as well so I've cc'd him as well."

Celia sighed as she hung up from her call. Swiveling her chair around to face the view of the city below her.

"Everything ok?"

She turned to see Donna leaning against the door. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Did you go see Stu?"

"I did. We're done."

"I'm sorry," Donna said coming into the office.

A small laugh escaped from Celia's mouth. "It wasn't meant to be I guess."

"So how do you feel about a baby shower?"

"How do YOU feel about a bridal shower?" grinned Celia.

"Probably about the same way you feel about a baby shower," smiled Donna. "Unnecessary!"

"Ok then if neither of us are having one then we're definitely going to have a bachelorette party for you!"

"Oh please. I think I'm a bit long in the tooth for one of those!" exclaimed Donna.

"Nonsense!" grinned Celia.

A smile formed on Donna's lips as she sat down on Celia's couch. "When you married Phillip how did you know you loved him enough to marry him?"

"I don't think I'm the best person to give an answer to that Donna, " Celia said with a wry grin as the redhead let out a small laugh.

"I look at my parents and they've been through hell and back and even separated for a while," she said. "But they got back together. That's real love!"

"And you don't think you and Thomas have real love? " asked Celia sitting on the couch beside her.

"I don't know Cece. I guess it is love..."

"If you aren't sure about marrying Thomas then you need to..." Celia started to say before being interrupted by the other woman.

"What if this is my only chance to get married? To have a family? I don't want to end up having regrets because of not taking a chance?"

"Donna. I can't tell you what to do. This is your decision. But if you are settling for Thomas because Harvey is too blind to see what's in front of him."

Donna's head shot up at the mention of Harvey. "It's not about Harvey. It's about me!"

"Ok so if it's about you then you need to do what is best for you," Celia said.

"You're right Celia," smiled Donna getting to her feet. "I still don't want a bachelorette party though!"

"Who would have thought this time last year I'd be a single mother to be and you would be getting married?"

Donna stood at the office door and noticed Harvey returning to his office. She looked back at Celia and smiled. "Who'd have thought."

\\-oOo -/

"All you need to do is sign your name on the dotted line and you will have merged with Galippo Foods," Harvey said pushing the contract over to Abigail sitting in front of him.

Abigail took out her pen and flipped the file to the signature page at the back. She paused with her pen in her hand.

"Is something wrong?" Harvey asked noticing the hesitation in the woman.

Abigail let out a deep sigh and closed the file. "I'm not sure if Gailann and Galippo Foods are the best fit after all."

Harvey raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You what now? You were the one that wanted to merge with Galippo Foods!"

"I know," shrugged Abigail fidgeting with the edge of the manila folder. "But I did some research and I don't like their practice of using palm oil in some of their products. Orangutans have lost their homes because of palm oil harvesting you know... "

Harvey leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes while he listened to her. "Abigail. You should done your research before you came to me about merging. I now have to go back to Galippo and tell them the merger is off. It makes me and this firm look like shit!"

"Oh please Harvey. You're going to well compensated. I'm not happy with the terms and their practices so I won't be signing. You can tell Galippo whatever the hell you want but the merger is off! " Abigail got to her feet picked up her bag and without a a look behind her she strode out of Harvey's office.

Harvey watched her leave the office in disbelief before swiveling his chair around to face the window. He pensively looked out on the darkening November skyline of Manhatten. Lights in other buildings twinkled as the setting sun turned the sky all kinds of red and orange.

"Harvey, do you have a minute?"

He turned at the unmistakable and familiar voice. "What now Donna?"

"What's wrong?"

"Want a list? Abigail Walston pulled out of the merger deal. The Manhattan Digest are refusing to retract that bullshit article and I just heard from Marcus that the restaurant renovations will cost twice as much as what it was supposed to be."

Donna sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Harvey. You of all people can find a solution to each of these problems."

He smiled and wearily rubbed his eyes. "I know. I'm dropping Abigail. I don't care if her account is worth millions the woman is unbearable. Louis or Alex can take her."

"See. One problem solved already!" smiled Donna.

"I can always rely on you to help me come to the right decision." His voice was low and his features more relaxed as he gazed at the redhead.

Donna shifted in her chair and unconsciously stroked her ring finger. She and Thomas still haven't bought an engagement ring yet. Not that they didn't have time to go looking. They did. They went looking when they were away for the weekend but Donna didn't see any that she actually liked. Thomas eventually offered to have one designed for her to which she reluctantly agreed to.

"Harvey. I need to tell you something," she said knowing that there was no actual good time to tell him.

"Don't tell me. You've accepted Thomas' proposal," he said with a smile.

"I have," she replied.

"I guess congratulations are in order," he said walking over to the couch and pulling out a large pale blue gift wrapped box from behind it.

Donna's eyes widened when she saw the package. In all the years they've worked together he never bought gifts for anyone. She always took care of that. "You didn't have to buy anything."

"I knew you would say yes to Thomas," he said. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you Harvey. That means a lot."

The two stood in the center of the office without saying anything for a moment. "I better get back to these contracts," Donna eventually said with a smile.

Harvey watched her walk towards the office door. "Donna."

She turned on her heel to give him a quizzical look.

"I hope he makes you happy."

She felt a lump in her throat and her mouth went dry as her eyes pricked with tears. She smiled and left his office.

_To be continued_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Author Note

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this! Hope you are all keeping well in these uncertain and scary times!

\\-oOo -/

Katrina exhaled slowly as she finished up the brief for Hawaiian Tropics Inc. That was such a waste of time. The company are adamant that their product closely resembles another even though there is no such overlap. She pinched the bridge of her nose feeling the beginnings of a migraine coming on. Wearily closing her eyes she sat back in her chair.

Louis stood at the door watching his protege. He knew she was strong but this whole stalking situation concerned him especially since the police had no real leads.

"Katrina," he said waiting for her to respond.

Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice. "Louis," she smiled. "Shouldn't you be at home already?"

"I have a few more things to do before I go home but it looks like I won't be able to take step back for a while yet. This whole NYC Law Services thing...plus the Aster Solutions case," he replied sitting himself in front of the blonde lawyer.

"Louis. We will deal with all of that. You need to prepare for your baby's arrival. Be at home with Sheila."

"Are you fricking kidding me? Sheila's due in 4 weeks time. She's grumpy as hell. Blames me for getting her into this situation! I'd rather be at work!" exclaimed Louis prompting Katrina to give him a look of shock.

"Louis!" She admonished.

"Enough about me. What about you? The police have any leads?"

"No. But I did have a visit from Brian's wife," Katrina revealed to him.

"What did she want? "Do you think she's the stalker?"

Katrina sighed and shook her head. "No I don't think she is. She told me she was leaving Brian, filing for divorce and citing adultery naming me."

"Oh my God!"

"I think I got through to her that nothing happened with Brian and I," she sighed. "This is just one big mess Louis."

"If you got her to back off then you've nothing to worry about," he smiled squeezing her hand.

"I hope you're right Louis. I really do. But in the mean time I'm back to square one."

"Your stalker," concluded Louis.

"Yes," Katrina said as tears prickled in her blue eyes. "What do I do Louis?"

Louis was silent for a moment before squeezing her hand again. "Ok, this is what you're gonna do now. Live your life. Don't go looking over your shoulder. This will pass."

"And if it doesn't?"

"It will Katrina." He got to his feet and ambled towards the door.

"Louis!"

He stopped at the door and turned at the sound of her voice.

"Thank you," Katrina smiled.

He nodded and headed back to his office.

\\-oOo -/

"I didn't think you would come meet me," Stu said to Donna as they sat with coffees in their hands in a small park near the firm.

"Why wouldn't I come meet you?" asked the redhead taking a sip from her cup. She huddled up inside her coat. The temperature had gone down a lot since the beginning of November. The leaves had fallen from the branches creating crunchy sound underfoot. Most of the trees were bare now and snow had been forecast for the weekend. People hurried by on their way to wherever they were going.

"I thought I would be persona non grata around these parts," replied Stu.

"You will never be persona non grata with me," smiled Donna knocking her elbow off his.

"Thanks Red," he said as he drank his coffee. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before lowering his head. "I blew it with Cece."

"She told me what happened but I don't necessarily think that you blew it. But you're going to have to work damn hard to fix it with her," replied Donna.

"That's just it Donna. This whole thing shouldn't have to be work!"

Donna was silent for a moment. "How much did she tell you about her husband?"

"Not much. Only that he died," shrugged Stu.

"Well before he died he was indicted for embezzlement and fraud. She left him..."

"Go on," replied Stu.

"She was implicated but Harvey and Louis got her out of it. After he died it was discovered he had been involved with the mob in San Francisco and they sent someone after her."

"Jesus," Stu said rubbing his chin. "No wonder she reacted the way she did with me!"

"She's bound to be emotional anyway."

Stu glanced at Donna. "What do you mean?"

"She didn't tell you did she?"

"Tell me what? What's wrong?" asked Stu.

"Stu, she's pregnant with his baby. She just found out."

He opened his mouth in surprise while he stared at the redhead.

"Does that change anything?"

\ -oOo-/

Harvey strode into Alex's office. The other lawyer was buried in files and papers were strewn all over the floor and desk.

"Alex. I'm transferring a client to you," Harvey started to say before noticing the pile of papers on the floor. "What the hell is going on here?"

Alex barely looked up from the files. "Reorganizing. These files are a mess!"

"That's a job for the support staff, not a name partner," Harvey said moving a stack of files from the chair he was about to sit down on.

"I know Harvey but at least this way I'll know that it's done!" exclaimed Alex rubbing his eyes.

Harvey noticed the look of exhaustion on his friend's face. "What's really going on Alex?"

"I told you. Reorganizing!" snapped the other man.

Harvey 's lips formed a thin line and nodded slowly. He wasn't going to push Alex to tell him what was wrong. He would when he felt ready too. He placed the file he had on top of the pile of files. "I'm giving you a client."

Alex glanced at the other lawyer and then back at the file. Reaching out he pulled it off the stack and leaned back in his chair as he gave the file a quick read through. He chuckled quietly and shook his head before throwing it back on the table. "Abigail Walston? Your problem client? No way!"

Harvey rolled his eyes before reluctantly picking the file up. "I haven't got time for her shit Alex! I've got this lawsuit against the Manhattan Digest coming up... "

Alex got to his feet and shoved his hand in his pocket. "No. I've got my own shit to deal with!"

"Alex, whatever it is you can tell me," Harvey said.

Alex rubbed his eyes again and sat back in his chair. "Rosalie left me."

"Ah jeeze man. I'm sorry to hear that," replied Harvey genuinely meaning it. "What happened?"

"What hasn't happened?" Alex said sardonically. "Joy and Debbie are both having issues at school, Rosalie and I have been fighting more. She moved to the spare room last week and yesterday she moved out saying that she needed time and space."

"You guys have always managed to work things through in the past!"

"I know but I don't think we can this time," admitted Alex.

"Don't give up Alex," Harvey said as he got to his feet. "Don't worry about Abigail. I'll ask Cece if she will take her."

"No Harvey. I'll take her. At least it will keep my mind off my problems," Alex said shoving a hand into his pocket while extending his other to Harvey.

"Are you sure?"

Alex nodded. "Yes I'm sure."

"Thanks Alex. I owe you one!" Harvey handed him the file and headed towards the office door before turning around. "I really do hope you and Rosalie work it out."

"Thanks Harvey, " replied Alex opening the file.

\\-oOo -/

Katrina sat back in her chair after Louis had returned to his office. She wasn't really getting any work done. Her head was in a mess with this whole stalking thing. Julie turning up at the office the other day also rattled her. Picking up her cellphone she scrolled through her contacts until she reached Brian's number. She tapped her index finger on the table before she deleted his phone number. The shrill ring of the phone made her jump and drop it on the floor where it landed under the desk .

"Shit," she muttered as she leaned down to pick it up. Banging her head against the corner of the desk she uttered another swear word. She saw that it was the detective that had been assigned to her case.

"Detective Conan," she answered.

"Ms Bennett, we have a suspect in custody. We would like you to come down to the station to identify him."

" Oh my God! I'll be there in 20 minutes, " she exclaimed getting to her feet. She ignored the stinging pain in her head from when she knocked it against the table.

"Take your time Ms Bennett. He won't be going anywhere for 24 hours," replied the Detective.

"I want to get this over with," she said hanging up and putting her files into her briefcase . She hurried out the door forwards Louis' office.

"Louis! They have someone in custody!" She said breathlessly.

His head shot up at the sound of her voice. "What the fuck? Let's go then!"

"Louis, you don't need to come with me!"

The managing partner got to his feet quickly. "Yes I do Katrina. I know how daunting it is to confront someone who committed a crime on you. Gretchen. Call the driver and tell him to be outside in 5 mins."

Gretchen rolled her eyes. "Yes sir. Oh and do you want me to email the agenda to the partners for the next meeting?"

"Yes go ahead. The Aster Solutions case is our priority discussion at this meeting," Louis said not even looking back at her as he hurriedly ushered Katrina down the hallway towards the elevator.

They both entered the police station that served the district Katrina lived in. People milled around the reception area. Cops bringing people through in hand cuffs. A woman argued loudly with the cop on duty at the front desk. Another woman weeped on the bench Katrina and Louis sat on. Louis wrinkled his nose at disgust at the sight in front of him.

"HE NEEDS A LAWYER!" The woman at the front desk shouted at the cop.

"We're lawyers," Kate whispered to Louis who looked at her in horror.

"Are you frickin kidding me? You never know what you might catch from these people!"

"Louis!

He folded his arms and watched as another cop brought in another individual who looked like he needed to put in the drunk tank. "Jeeze. What's with these people?"

"Ms Bennett."

They both looked up to see Detective Conan standing beside the desk.

"Detective Conan. What's the situation?" Katrina asked as the detective brought them to a small room just off the front desk area. Louis wrinkled his nose as he glanced around the room. The grey walls had marks on them and he shuddered to think what those marks where. The door looked like it had been kicked in by a herd of elephants. Fluorescent lights overhead flickered and buzzed. He was sure he was going to end up with an almighty headache from them.

"Our suspect is a 30 year old male. Employed at the courthouse. We caught him placing these in your mailbox at your apartment building." The detective pushed a file over to the two.

Katrina glanced at Louis before opening the file. She exhaled slowly when she saw the contents. "I don't understand. These are the notes that I left for everyone when I left the DA's office. Where did these come from?"

"Our suspect is apparently an ex colleague of yours. He said he was returning them to you," replied the detective.

"Wait a minute," Louis said. "This asswipe you have in custody is someone she worked with? What are you charging him with?"

"Nothing yet Mr Litt. There is no evidence that he intended to harm Ms Bennett."

"No evidence?" Louis looked like he was about to explode before Katrina gently put her hand on his arm.

"Then what the hell was he doing?"

"He claims he was returning items to you. The flowers and balloons were to say thank you."

"Thank me for what?"

The detective sighed. "I think it would be best if you heard from him." He picked up his phone and told whoever was on the other line to bring him in.

Katrina's heart pounded in her ears and she looked up in shock when the door opened to see one of the court porters standing in hand cuffs in front of her. She had helped him learn to write so he could get a promotion.

"Adam? What the hell is going on?" She said standing up as he slid down into the seat in front of them keeping his head lowered as he stared at the floor.

"You realize you are in a lot of trouble here," Louis started to say before being interrupted by Katrina.

"Adam," Katrina said more softly before the young man lifted his head to meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry Katrina. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong," he eventually said.

"The flowers, the balloons, the ballet tickets. That was you?"

"I wanted to thank you for everything you did for me. You helped me a lot. I didn't know I would get into trouble!"

"Well it's got you in a whole heap of trouble... " Louis started to say before being interrupted by Katrina.

"And the photos?"

"I started a photography class in NYU and needed some photos for my portfolio. I thought you would like them. This isn't going to go on my record is it?" Adam turned his head to look at Detective Conan who had been standing in the corner.

"That depends if Ms Bennett wants to press charges or not," replied the detective.

"Of course she wants to press charges!" exclaimed Louis getting riled up again.

"Louis!" Interjected Katrina again before turning her attention back to the man in front of her. "I'm not going to press charges but you have to realize that this is a very serious offence."

"I know that now," replied Adam giving her a weak smile.

"What about a restraining order?" Louis asked.

"Ms Bennett has agreed not to pursue charges of stalking but we can have a restraining order put in place within the hour," replied the detective.

Katrina shook her head. "There's no need for a restraining order. I think Adam realizes what he did was a mistake."

Louis looked at her as if she was nuts but said nothing.

"Mr Barber. If Ms Bennett does not want to press charges or file a restraining order then we get let you go. But we will be filing the complaint and if anything like this happens again then charges will be brought and you will end up before a judge."

Adam nodded his head before turning his head to look at Katrina. "I really am sorry. I didn't think this would get me into trouble. I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for me."

Katrina nodded as a cop came into the room and brought Adam back out to sign release papers. Moving her head forward to lean against her interlocked fingers she let out a deep sigh of relief as Louis squeezed her elbow.

\\-oOo -/

Later that evening Stu sat on the step of the brownstone apartment in Chelsea where Celia lived. He wasn't sure what he was going to say or do when he saw her. All he knew that he had had developed feelings for her. Wanted to be with her. Would it matter if she was going to have a baby? His thoughts were interrupted when Celia's black Lexus pulled up at the sidewalk. He got to his feet when she alighted from her car.

She glanced quickly around her as she walked past him but stopped on the first step. "Stu. What are you doing here?"

"Why didn't you tell me about the baby?"

She looked at him with surprise. "How do you know about that?"

"It doesn't matter how I know. Were you going to tell me?"

"No," she said as she walked up the steps to the front door. "It's none of your business."

"None of my bus...hey wait up," he followed her through the door and up the stairs to her apartment.

Celia threw her briefcase onto the couch as he stood at the door. "Stu. I'm not looking for a father for my child."

"Celia. I want to be with you. And if that includes a baby then it does," replied Stu.

She sighed as she took off her coat. "So you want to be involved then? You want to deal with diaper changes and sleepless nights and the 1001 other things that come with raising a child...that's not even yours?"

"None of that changes how I feel about you," he answered honestly. "And I know you feel the same way about me. And yes...I do want to be involved."

She ran her hand through her hair. "I can't even think of starting a relationship at the moment Stu. I'm still dealing with the fact that I'll be bringing a new life into the world...one who is never going to know who her father was because...her father was a selfish asshole."

Her voice cracked as a tear rolled down her cheek. Wiping her eyes with the palm of her hand she sniffed as Stu moved closer to her and pulled her in to his arms.

\\-oOo -/

"Katrina, that's great news!" Donna said over the phone after she had called her to update her what happened in the police station that afternoon.

Thomas watched as the redhead paced back and forth in the kitchen. He fingered the small velvet box in his pocket. He caught her gaze as she set the phone down on the counter.

"Everything ok?" He asked as she brought them out 2 cups of coffee.

"Yes. Looks like the guy stalking Katrina wasn't actually stalking her," replied Donna smiling at him.

"Then what was he doing?" asked Thomas leaning on the counter.

"He wanted to thank her for helping him a few years back."

"That's an odd way of thanking someone," he replied. He smiled at her and pulled her closer. "I think it's time."

"Time for what? " she asked as he kissed her forehead gently.

"Time to make wedding plans!" He smiled pulling the velvet box out of his pocket. "What do you say we make our engagement official?"

Donna gasped as he opened the box and she stared at the beautiful ring nestled inside it. It was a large ruby surrounded by glistening diamonds on a silver band. "It's beautiful. I didn't think it would be ready so quick!"

"My contact is an expert with custom makes. Once I told him my requirements he had it complete in no time at all."

Thomas slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her lightly on the lips.

Donna said nothing but stared at the ring on her finger as Thomas continued talking. "So now that we are officially engaged maybe we should think about wedding dates."

"Thomas. We agreed on a long engagement," replied Donna.

"I know, I know! " he said. "But there is no harm in setting a date now is there?"

Donna ran her hand through her hair. She really wasn't ready to think about wedding plans yet. She smiled brightly at him. "You're right. There's nothing wrong with that."

_To be continued_


End file.
